Burdens of Familiarity
by Archer the Undreamed
Summary: "Sometimes the best way to solve your own problems is to help someone else."
1. Chapter 1

The Dragon of the West sat in a foreign land, alone and utterly defeated in every way imaginable. In the months since the disaster, he had shed weight like melting ice, living only because he didn't know what else to do with himself.

"Excuse me sir? Would you like a refill?"

Iroh looked wearily up at the cheerful server. Another day, he would have started a conversation. Perhaps he would tomorrow. "No thank you," he said quietly, letting the woman take his china.

He had ended up falling back on his White Lotus contacts, contacts that led him to the city of Omashu for the first time in his life. The highest level member there was an incredibly eccentric man, but King Bumi was also knowledgeable even by White Lotus standards. Iroh had heard of the Elemental Countries of course. No royal from a country best-known for wanting to conquer every other nation would be completely unaware of an entirely new continent. But King Bumi knew more than the vague information that had led Fire Lord Azulon to decide to postpone attacking them until the Earth Nation was under their rule.

The sights and sounds of the marketplace were dulled by his mood as Iroh slowly plodded back to his hotel room. This country was strange, as was the Land of Iron where he had first arrived. At least the shocking technologies of that place were much less frequent here, even if he had been informed it was because the military governments refused to allow technologies that might disrupt their operations. Civilians with money here had access to the television technology and refrigeration (the second of which seemed much more appealing and useful to him). From what he understood, some of the more powerful military governments had monopolized video, camera, and short-range audio communication technologies for themselves and completely stopped things like the telephones from crossing the border from the Land of Iron entirely.

He recognized that the control of information and technology like that was a bad sign—it meant that the military villages were working to ensure that their power wasn't undermined and that the civilians they terrorized would remain helpless—but he still found himself a bit soothed by the comparative normalcy.

The transition from a rusty bucket on the ocean around the Earth Nation to Mifune's elegant home had been unpleasant (he was too old to have to learn so much), but the utter strangeness of this new land had probably helped to shock him out of his depression.

Even the hotel room and the bed he sank his weary bones down into discomfited Iroh. If he didn't have a mission to accomplish, he would probably lie down and die.

'And that is probably why Mifune-san has asked me to gather information,' he sighed to himself, scrubbing at his face with cool water from the tap. It was possible that the information he would pass along would actually be important—but it was also possible that he would never hear anything of importance. That was the nature of intelligence work, a fact he had made his peace with.

Still, his host had given him a task. Despite their peaceful state, the non-shinobi countries still had reasons to be concerned about what happened in the ninja countries. Apparently, an entirely new village had been founded in the previously neutral land of Rice very recently. Until some diplomatic snafu about a month after Iroh arrived, no one knew of their allegiances or even their leader. When that information had come out, Mifune-san's aide had cursed up a storm. The Land of Iron was not allowed to send representatives to the shinobi lands. But the new village and the country it had taken control of shared a border with the Land of Iron, and the aggressive behavior the small nation had indulged in had given Mifune and his countrymen cause to worry.

Which is where Iroh, who was not affiliated with any of the nations, came in. '_They must really be worried about this Orochimaru person if they are willing to risk getting caught sending an agent across the border_,' Iroh thought wearily.

Tomorrow. He would make his way to the Land of Rice tomorrow.

* * *

Orochimaru rolled his eyes in irritation as his new apprentice yet again failed to deliver any killing blows in his spars. "Pathetic and sentimental," he hissed. At his side, Kabuto chuckled.

"Orochimaru-sama, he was raised in Konoha's peacetime," he pointed out mildly. "I would wager that Sasuke-kun has yet to see death in combat, much less deliver it himself. Perhaps that should be rectified before this training continues."

Yellow eyes followed the lithe figure engaged in a taijutsu match with Tayuya. The girl had been surpassed, but she was still doing her level best to maim the boy. Sasuke, on the other hand, had yet to land a blow that would do more than leave bruises.

The Sannin stood to leave, giving the sparring partners one last condescending look when they paused to look at him, leaving. His Otokage robes trailed on the ground behind him. Kabuto ducked his head to hide a slight smile at the disgruntled look on Sasuke's face and pulled the heavy doors shut behind them. The boy was far too obvious in his desire for approval. 'Of course, he was coddled by the teachers at the academy,' Kabuto chuckled to himself. No wonder Sasuke-kun had thought he was stagnating when he found himself under a man like Hatake. From what he knew, Kakashi wouldn't have the social skills to flatter the boy even if he'd wanted to.

* * *

Iroh took his time on the way to the Land of Rice, and carefully and skillfully avoided using the road and well-travelled paths. When he finally passed the border, he was very glad he had exercised such extreme caution. The roads even from a distance were in poor shape, and there were kunai and other signs of struggle all over the area. Iroh took a moment to remove a still-sharp kunai from the ground and tucked it into a pocket, just in case he might have a use for it later.

He wasn't very far into the Land of Rice, and he was already disturbed by what he saw. Abandoned houses, scorch marks adorning the ground, and ...was that blood? Iroh's mouth grew dry and his feet felt unwilling to take even one more step, but he forced himself forward, trudging towards the nearest village on the map, when he was startled and stopped by something strangely familiar.

_You know it's bad when you're familiar with the smell of burning corpses_, he thought grimly. With that cheery thought in mind, he thought it best to hurry towards the village.

Iroh had been a General for years, and he was hailed as the Dragon of the West by many, lauded by his compatriots and feared by his foes. He had only ever really been defeated once, and he had seen all the horrors that war had to offer.

What he saw when he neared that village nearly stopped him in his tracks.

"My kami, is that a demon?" Iroh gasped. He had seen many things—spirits, dragons, and even a man who thought he was a cat. But he had never seen anything like the two-legged beast in deceptively white robes. If it weren't for all the blood on the sleeves and the discolored skin peeling off everywhere that the fabric failed to cover, he might have mistaken the beast for a man. Granted, it would have to be an exceptionally ugly man with strange colored marking and a flat face like a snake.

Iroh rapidly tried to process the scene in front of him. There were bodies everywhere, fires burning in many of the buildings, and there were only two people in the street. There was a young boy and a… wraithlike beast. _His skin looks like snakeskin_, he thought in confusion. As he stealthily closed the distance between himself and the monster, the monster started speaking.

"I know you're out there" he hissed giddily, "and I'll find and slaughter every last one of you villagers. No hard feelings, I just couldn't possibly let anyone else think they don't have to acknowledge me as their new Kage. I haven't even gotten a proper fight out of any of you, and my student here" the monster put a blood-coated hand on the seemingly frozen boy "hasn't even gotten to do more than bat any of you around yet." The monster slithered down the street, poking his head into the doors and windows of buildings, and unleashing small, brightly colored snakes from his robes that slid into even the tiniest nooks and crannies of the houses he was trying to search. Horrible shrieking sounds and thudding emanated after each animal.

Iroh felt sick to his stomach. His hands were trembling, and he quickly stuffed them in his pockets to calm his nerves. He should do something, he knew. But what? Would he do more harm than good if he involved himself? He didn't even know what was going on. Was he risking the hospitality of his poor sponsor Mifune-san? He had been warned that relations between the Land of Iron and the shinobi nations mostly relied on non-interference. Then again, the monster in front of him hardly looked like an agent of the law.

"I found you" the monster hissed again, pulling a young woman from the rubble as she kicked and screamed. "It's rude to hide from guests" it jeered at the woman, and she began to cry and flail helplessly in its grasp.

Iroh knew then that he didn't care about being caught. The Land of Iron could disavow him easily, and be absolved of any interference.

But he had to end it fast. If he didn't end the monster quickly, there would be more chances for openings for the monster to end him and go on terrorizing innocent people. Luckily, the likelihood that it would initially recognize him as a threat was incredibly low.

There was only one thing he could do. He focused quietly, pushing all emotion from his mind, and gently pushed away all his tumultuous thoughts and fears. He could do that for a time, at least, even now. He went through his motions, gently but firmly separating his yin and yang energies. He stepped out slowly and silently to a place with more of a vantage point, and let his body go through the motions it knew so well. This had never been one of his favored moves, but there had been a time that the sheer mastery the skill required had been something he took pride in.

"You!" he shouted out hoarsely, hoping the monster would drop the girl and come investigate. "You are a disgrace."

The monster's head reared back on an unnaturally long neck and took in Iroh with a quizzical expression. Then it laughed, and dropped the woman on the ground, her cries muffled by the rubble she fell onto.

"And what do we have here?" it hissed again happily. "It's been so long since my snakes had a meal that fought back."

Iroh knew there was no more time, and he let his arms swing around in a circular motion. His yin and yang energy recombined, setting loose a hellish bolt of lightning that swept furiously down towards the monster.

The monster laughed. "That's an interesting justu." He didn't seem concerned in the slightest, which made Iroh nervous for a millisecond. Until it hit.

The monster screeched, not having bothered to dodge what he doubtless thought was a pitiful old man's dying effort. Iroh watched as the wisps of electricity climbed up the snakelike appendages, withering and burning them, and made their way to his heart and head.

"I'll kill you!" it screeched as it burned, and fell to the ground. The boy that had been with it had been knocked down with the blast, and looked at Iroh like he might actually be somehow worse than the monster he had just slain.

The monster was living longer than Iroh had expected it to, but it wouldn't matter. The strikes were fatal, and it writhed and screamed on the ground, while it smoked.

After the horrific thing finally breathed its last, Iroh let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Getting close to that thing, or having to fight it for an extended period of time would have been fatal for everyone involved.

Iroh finally looked away from the smoking corpse on the ground to its former companion, to find that the boy had already been staring at him with wide eyes and an otherwise blank expression.

"You're stronger than Orochimaru" the boy whispered.

Well, wouldn't Mifune-san be pleased as punch.


	2. Chapter 2

Iroh glanced down at the prone preteen in front of him, and sighed heavily. He hadn't intended to fly off the handle like that, and he certainly hadn't wanted to draw attention to himself. He'd devoted his attention to saving lives, and not taking them. To be fair, it wasn't as if this snake fellow would be missed. In fact, Iroh suspected that the whole of the continent would be better off with his passing. Iroh felt a need to apologize, but to whom he wasn't sure. The villagers he had saved didn't seem too put out at still being alive, strangely enough. But the boy in front of him stared up with a fearful expression that seemed to cut to Iroh's very core.

"How old are you?" Iroh inquired quietly, gesturing limply at the boy in question.

The boy glared down at the ground and clenched his fingers in his hands so viciously that Iroh wouldn't be surprised if he'd drawn blood. When he looked back up, Iroh tried not to start at how dark the boy's eyes were. His irises appeared black, and Iroh had always thought that black was more of an absence of light than anything else. But when he looked into those eyes, what should have been a void was full with a mixture of fear and hate that Iroh understood quite well.

"Thirteen" the boy croaked angrily after a long moment, his eyes never leaving Iroh's. "What are you going to do to me?" the boy demanded angrily, but Iroh could see that his body was betraying him. His eyes were threatening to fill with tears, and the boy shook with frustration.

Iroh had to admire his spirit, if nothing else. But what was he going to do with the boy? It was a good question. He'd been with the man threatening the whole village, but had not raised a hand against himself or the villagers that he'd seen. He looked for the entire world like Zuko, when they'd set sail from the Fire Nation in disgrace.

It burned. It wasn't the kind of heat that Iroh was accustomed to. Fire was warm and inviting. It could be used for good or evil, to destroy or to help, but this wasn't fire. This was liquid hell coursing through his veins, and he felt himself growing weary just looking at the helpless child in front of him.

"Well?" the boy demanded, getting up on his feet and closing the distance between them. "Are you going to kill me, too?"

Iroh finally broke eye contact with the boy, and stared sorrowfully at the ground. "No" he sighed, turning away and facing towards the exit of the town. He couldn't look at that face anymore. He saw that desperate need in those eyes, but Iroh did not think he would be able to help this boy any more than he had been able to help either of the ones before. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he took a slow shaky step towards the edge of town.

A hand caught him, the grip stronger than he ever would have anticipated. He stopped in his tracks, and slowly turned back to face the child he so desperately wanted to escape.

"You can't just leave me here" the boy half-pleaded, half-demanded. "Show me how you did that."

Iroh shrugged the tiny hand off of his shirt, and closely examined the boy in front of him this time. He was dirty, no doubt because Iroh hadn't spared any strength in attacking the boy's master. He had a proud posture that again reeked of his nephew, and Iroh barely suppressed a shudder. He had to stop seeing Zuko everywhere, it wasn't healthy. His high collar obscured his neck and the bottom of his face, and he had shuriken and kunai in a pouch on his belt. He had been trained, no doubt, but in what Iroh didn't know. He had had little to no experience with ninja, as a general that hadn't been his area of expertise. The boy had some potential; he had no doubt, as his stance and practiced ease now indicated. He hadn't been battle hardened, but someone had certainly spent the time preparing him for confrontations.

Iroh sighed again, and brought his hand up to his head to rub his right temple. He likely wasn't from here, there were no other potential combatants in sight, and the villagers were giving both of them an extremely wide berth though they were severely impeding traffic. "Where are you from? You should go home." He stated kindly but firmly, trying desperately to push the nagging feeling he had away from him.

The blank look the boy gave him confirmed all of his fears all at once. "Not here" the boy admitted sullenly. "And I can't go back home, anyway. There is nothing for me there."

Iroh felt like his hand was all that was holding up his head. "Don't you have family or friends that miss you?" he pleaded. "You should go home to them, instead of worrying them by being out here like this."

Iroh immediately regretted asking, as the boy tensed and glared at the ground. "No" he whispered. "They're all gone. They're dead." He slowly looked up and stared into Iroh's eyes again, and Iroh knew that if he didn't make his escape now, he would have to relent.

But he couldn't leave him here alone and afraid, so like his nephew. The boy was lashing out like a madman, trying and hoping desperately that he would catch and keep anyone, anything. He was afraid, and the fear was turning to hate. Iroh couldn't bear to see it, regardless of his personal burden.

The boy reached out to grab his sleeve, and Iroh could not deny the determination in his eyes. "Train me," the boy rasped quietly, "please."

* * *

"Move, elder" Sasuke pleaded in his mind, but the elderly man did not budge. Sasuke's stomach did somersaults as he tried to prepare himself for what Orochimaru was going to do. He knew that Orochimaru would likely punish him if he showed any fear or discomfort, and so he stood as straight as he could, and willed his legs to stop shaking.

They weren't interested in obeying at all, and so Sasuke settled for watching the elderly man on the street and willing the entire situation to disappear. That wasn't working out so well, either. But he had to kill Itachi, didn't he? He would have to be well acquainted with death before his journey was over.

Sasuke's eyes opened wide as the man made a strange circular motion with his arms, and let loose lightning that even Kakashi could have never produced.

Sasuke leapt out of the way as fast as he could and still wasn't fast enough. He felt his back burn and was extraordinarily glad that he had chosen to dodge, even as he fell to the ground. He realized that he couldn't get up, but couldn't bring himself to be anything other than relieved. At least maybe Orochimaru would stop slaughtering villagers now, he thought, when he heard a piercing scream that he was sure would haunt his dreams for years to come.

He angled his head up to where Orochimaru had been, and was startled that he was still there, evidently wreathed in pain. Orochimaru writhed and screamed, and watched in fascinated horror as Orochimaru's limbs appeared to wither and burn. Orochimaru twisted again, and fell to the ground.

With a last otherworldly howl, a Sannin passed from the world.

Sasuke couldn't believe it. One minute, he had been standing next to Orochimaru, feeling sick to his stomach, and the next he was on the ground, covered in dirt and blood.

Just what in hell did that old man DO?

Orochimaru had crumbled with one hit from what had appeared to be a little old man, without any ninja training or an advanced chakra system that Sasuke could sense.

One hit.

It made his head hurt just to think about the implications. He lifted his head heavily and tried to examine the man in front of him, but his vision was blurring and twisting. He could only make out his shape as the man walked calmly closer.

"You're stronger than Orochimaru" Sasuke croaked, uncomprehending. His head dropped unbidden onto the ground again, and Sasuke furiously tried to regain proper control of his body. After a moment of frantic struggle, his body slumped entirely on the ground.

Sasuke considered his options. Maybe he had been going about this all wrong. Orochimaru either wasn't as strong as he'd said, or this man was just incredibly powerful. Either way, he was now far from Konoha, without a teacher or anyone at all, really. Kabuto and the others wouldn't have any use for him now, he had only been accepted as Orochimaru's new vessel. They'd more likely kill him than train him, and none of them were as strong as Orochimaru in the first place.

So his only real option was to convince this man to train him. But how? He didn't know what the man wanted, and he'd just been associated with Orochimaru, a legendary Sannin that this man had just put down with extreme prejudice in one attack.

In all likelihood, Sasuke was going to die.

* * *

Iroh resisted the urge to glance back at his angry shadow. The boy had followed him without another word after Iroh had agreed to train him, even as he packed up the proof that Orochimaru was deceased and got back on the road to the Land of Iron to report to Mifune. The trek had only taken about two days, but the boy had said absolutely nothing to Iroh, and Iroh nothing to him.

He didn't even know where to begin, to be honest. "I, too, am incredibly and irrevocably alone" didn't sound right, and neither did "Want to see me breathe fire at things?" If he'd been a normal little boy, getting covered in scrapes and bruises, happily bounding all over the worn walking path, this would have been easier. He could have laughed and joked and tried to forget the pain of his past life, at least for a little while.

But this child was a storm cloud, long since deserted by the warmth of the sun. How would he even train him? Firebending required a temperament this boy didn't appear to possess. He was alternatingly cold and hot, passionate and then utterly removed.

That, he supposed, would have to be the first thing he addressed once he had delivered his report to Mifune. He didn't really know this child at all. He had not offered his name yet, and his actual disposition had yet to be determined. Luckily, Iroh knew a good way to find what was truly in someone's heart.

"What the hell is Pai Sho, and what does this have to do with training me?" the boy demanded sulkily, after taking the seat across from Iroh.

Iroh smiled as he set out the tiles, saving his precious lotus tile for last. "Maybe nothing, perhaps everything" he smiled beatifically, and leaned back into his chair. "You can go first" he prodded, as he had explained the rules of the game to the poor boy earlier.

The boy scowled, and made his opening move, placing his lotus tile carelessly on the board.

Iroh smiled.

* * *

"So, what is your name?" Iroh asked diplomatically. The boy groaned, looking sadly over the devastation Iroh had wrought upon his strategy. It was the fifth game they had played today, and the boy was showing some real promise, devising strategies Iroh had rarely seen before in such an inexperienced player.

Unfortunately for the boy, Iroh spent quite a bit of time playing Pai Sho.

The boy looked up, defeated, and Iroh resisted the tug of a smile. "Sasuke" the boy stated. "Uchiha Sasuke".

"That's a nice name" Iroh acknowledged, as he placed the winning tile upon the board. Sasuke slumped in his chair, and took a long moment to think. When he looked up, Iroh thought he could almost see a twinkle in the boy's previously vacant eyes.

"Again" Sasuke demanded. "Let's play again."

Iroh obediently cleared his pieces, and began again.

* * *

"You didn't know my name" Sasuke stated plainly later, and Iroh glanced away from the beautiful scene outside the window to meet his student's gaze.

"I just met you" Iroh chuckled. "I possess many talents, yet mindreading is not one of them."

Sasuke just looked confused. "Have you never heard of the Uchiha clan?"

"I've_ not_ heard of them" Iroh supplied gamely, shifting more of his attention to the broody preteen in the opposite chair.

The boy's mouth was agape, and he stared Iroh down with a confusion Iroh would liken to a mildly concussed puppy.

"My clan is very famous" Sasuke asserted with fervor.

Iroh cracked a smile. "Well, I'm very famous where I come from as well. But no one has heard of me here."

The boy managed to look even more confused than he had previously. "I've never heard of you. Where are you from?" the boy demanded, leaning across the table and nearly knocking over Iroh's precious ginseng tea.

"Very far away" Iroh acknowledged. "I don't doubt that your clan's name carries weight here, but I have not heard of them before."

"Hn" Sasuke grunted, and Iroh could tell he was deep in thought.

"What is your name?" Sasuke asked, obviously still thinking.

"My name isn't so important," Iroh said, waving a hand to dismiss the idea, "but you can call me Sifu Iroh."

* * *

"I win again!" Iroh chirped happily as he began to clear the board. "I think I've had enough for today, haven't you?"

Sasuke broke his trance and looked around, realizing for the first time that they had spent the entire day playing Pai Sho.

"What kind of training was that?" he grumbled, moving to leave his chair and stretching as he stood. He stalked towards Iroh, but Iroh could sense that he wasn't actually angry. "When are you actually going to teach me things?" Sasuke asked grumpily.

Iroh chuckled. "And to think I thought you were paying attention. I already have."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and shuffled out of the sunroom towards the bedroom Mifune had provided for him.

"What do you think of him?" Iroh asked quietly of the room's only other occupant. Mifune glanced up from polishing his sword, and nodded briefly.

"He has promise" he stated calmly. "But he is impatient, and impulsive."

Iroh glanced over at him in an even manner. "But he is young, and he can be tempered with time and work."

Mifune nodded slowly, as he resumed his slow polishing ritual. "If he listens, he would make a worthy student. He learns quickly, and sometimes displays insight beyond his years. It is a worthwhile occupation for you, I think. Provided that you are inclined to take it, of course."

"Do you know anything of these Uchiha?" Iroh asked politely. It wouldn't do to further offend the poor boy.

Mifune straightened considerably and gave Iroh a considering look. "They are, or were, a ninja clan from the Land of Fire. They resided in the Hidden Leaf Village, I believe."

"Were?" Iroh pried delicately.

"A few years ago, one of their members, a young prodigy named… Itachi, I believe… slaughtered the whole clan in their sleep."

"And Sasuke..."

"Must have been spared, I suppose. Unfortunately, I know very little of the matter. We have neutral relations with all of the other nations, including the Land of Fire. I would advise asking someone from his village, but he appears to be a missing ninja and has deserted them." Mifune then released his gaze on Iroh and resumed his careful work.

"I suppose they don't take desertion lightly" Iroh supplied softly.

"No" was the short answer he received. "However, he is very young and it is not a time of war here. It is possible that they may accept him back. But he cannot stay here with me, either" Mifune fixed him with another wilting gaze "as he is a missing-nin. They will not take kindly to him being harbored by a neutral country."

"But, per se, if he were wandering the Land of Iron with supervision, unbeknownst to you?" Iroh asked.

Mifune considered the scenario Iroh had painted for him. "They would be unlikely to look for him here, and you are considered a guest" he stated carefully. "If we were unaware of his continued presence, no other nation could fault us. They all share much the same problem, with missing-nin as rampant as they are."

Iroh turned to stare thoughtfully at the snow covered hills out of the window, and hummed softly to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked in consternation. "We've been walking for days, and I'm convinced you're just wandering."

"That assumption would be correct!" Iroh beamed back at his flustered companion. "I've been informed that you are something of a political issue, and so I have been advised to move you from well- populated areas."

"Hn" Sasuke grunted, but he looked vaguely startled.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you" Iroh assured him. "But I don't think your village will look kindly on your desertion, so it's best that they don't find us, yes?"

Sasuke nodded slowly in the affirmative. "I don't think I'd ever really considered that before" he admitted quietly.

Iroh examined him quietly. "So what did that man- Orochimaru- promise you in return for leaving? Money? Pretty girls? Puppies?"

Sasuke was quiet for a very long time. After a few more minutes of silent walking, Iroh had resigned himself to not knowing whether Sasuke really wanted a puppy or not – until Sasuke spoke up again.

"Power" Sasuke grunted. "Power enough to kill someone".

_Well_, Iroh mused. _That was almost shocking_. He was very glad he had managed to extract some information on Sasuke's family from Mifune, otherwise that would have been a much more terrifying confession. As it was, it didn't bode well for the boy's mental state.

"Why would you want to do that?" Iroh asked, as kindly as possible.

The boy flinched like someone had hit him. Iroh almost regretted asking, but it was an important question. Sasuke detached then, and Iroh inwardly sighed. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy.

The rest of their walk was dead silent.

* * *

"…A tea shop…?" Sasuke grumbled, and glared over at Iroh. Iroh grinned, and gestured for the boy to enter the establishment.

Sasuke stalked through the doorway, radiating displeasure. Iroh was reminded of happier times with his nephew; Zuko had always been much the same way. _Too little patience, and too much pride_, he thought amusedly as Sasuke took a seat at a table in the darkest corner. He followed him quickly, and seated himself across from his recalcitrant student.

"I'm hungry" he fake-pleaded. "Have mercy on your ancient and feeble teacher".

Sasuke grumbled, but managed to bite back his complaints while they ordered and their tea was brought to them.

"Ahh" Iroh sighed happily. "This tea is wonderful. Maybe we'll stay here while I train you."

Sasuke continued to warily observe the room while Iroh fawned over his beloved beverage.

"You look like you think someone is coming to get you" Iroh observed, after seeing Sasuke's tensed posture.

Sasuke glared back at him. "A shinobi is always aware of his surroundings" he grunted.

"That is wise" Iroh agreed "but I wonder if you do not miss the point sometimes. What point is there to living another day if you cannot enjoy it?"

He swirled the tea leaves in his cup, and watched them settle at the bottom. He breathed in deep, the scent of the Jasmine caressing his senses, and set the cup back down to look at his student.

Sasuke was looking right back at him, and was obviously not amused.

"Such a serious young man" Iroh commented, pouring Sasuke some tea. Sasuke continued to stare at him as if he had grown two heads.

After another long moment, Sasuke reached across to accept the cup from Iroh. He took a sip, and examined Iroh again.

"So when are you going to train me?" Sasuke asked. "All we've done is walk and play Pai Sho."

Iroh set both of his elbows on the table and arched his fingers together. "I suppose you've been patient enough" he admitted. "We will start after we finish our tea."

He was rewarded with a look of interest from Sasuke, who leaned across the table eagerly.

"What will we start with?" Sasuke asked, eyes eager to take in all the Iroh had to teach.

Iroh smiled briefly, thinking of the long and arduous training he was going to have to administer. "With what else? The beginning" he said, and took a long sip of his tea.

* * *

Sasuke was frustrated. "I already know proper fighting stances" Sasuke griped, glaring Sifu down with all the ferocity he could muster.

Sifu tittered. "You know the stances you were taught as a ninja, not the proper katas for firebending. But humor me and show me anyway, see if there's anything we can actually use."

Sasuke grumbled, and went through the katas he'd been taught by his family and the academy. Iroh hummed disappointedly as it became increasingly clear that absolutely nothing overlapped between what Sasuke knew and what he needed to know to even begin.

Sasuke watched his new sensei closely, in tune with his disappointment. If he couldn't impress his sensei, how would he ever learn anything? What if the old man decided he was too much of a liability and not worth training?

Sasuke didn't even want to think about it. He needed to get stronger to kill Itachi, and anyone strong enough to destroy Orochimaru with one hit could certainly teach him. What did he need to do to impress him?

He'd just try harder. At least training with Sifu had never been incredibly uncomfortable. Orochimaru wanted Sasuke to push himself to a breaking point so that he could be rebuilt, to tear everything in front of him to pieces. And yet Orochimaru had been torn apart himself by a man who appeared to spend all of his time sipping tea and playing Pai Sho.

It boggled the mind, really. But it wasn't Sasuke's concern. As long as he got the results he needed, it didn't matter who taught him. And the old man didn't want him to hurt civilians. In truth, he much preferred him to Orochimaru. Every time Orochimaru had tried to make him take a life, he tried to find the differences between himself and the man he hated. He knew once he took an innocent life, there wouldn't really be one.

He would have done it, if it would help him to kill Itachi. But not if there was another option. A way to gain the power he needed, and without the sleepless nights and extra blood on his hands. In truth, the reason he'd consented to be Orochimaru's vessel was that he knew he couldn't live with himself if he continued down the path Orochimaru had planned for him.

He ran through his katas again, slowing the movements down and hoping that his new sensei would be attentive to his precise movements and grace. At least then he'd know that he didn't just throw himself around and hope no one noticed, like Naruto.

Naruto. Just at the thought of him, Sasuke grimaced. How had the baka taken it once he'd discovered Sasuke had left? Sasuke would be willing to place bets that Naruto had already tried to escape the village to find him at least twice by now, he'd been gone about a month.

"Stop" came the voice, and Sasuke obediently halted his movements and came to the proper resting position. As always, his sensei was unreadable. He searched his face and body language for any indication of how he'd done, but found nothing.

His sensei began massaging his temples again, and Sasuke felt a wave of shame envelop him. He wracked his brain, trying to think of what he could have done wrong and how he could remedy it. He could show the old man his proficiency with the Chidori. But… how to properly demonstrate that without an opponent?

He was interrupted by his thoughts when the old man cleared his throat, and looked up to see Sifu walking towards him.

Sifu shrugged. "I don't know any of those" he murmured thoughtfully. Sasuke must have looked as confused as he felt, because Sensei Sifu continued. "We can probably still use them, but that would be later. We can't experiment without knowing the basics."

With that, Sasuke felt much relieved. At least it wasn't a personal failing, and the training that had taken so long to learn would still be of use. Starting with katas wouldn't be so hard, and then he could move up to do techniques like his sensei. He only hoped training would progress fast enough.

"Here" Sifu said, placing himself in a starting position Sasuke did not recognize, "this is where we will start." He moved through a set of motions that were much more graceful than the katas Sasuke had known all his life. They didn't look like they would land a single blow on an opponent.

"Why do they look like that?" Sasuke asked blankly, and Sifu chuckled.

"If the movements aren't fluid, then the fire doesn't follow, and any minute mistake you make could make it uncontrollable" he explained carefully. "You must move in a way that the fire understands and can follow."

"But I saw you use lightning on Orochimaru" Sasuke interjected, irritated. "Why are you talking about fire?"

His sensei looked at him, confused, and Sasuke realized that he had just made some sort of mistake. He struggled to explain himself in a way that didn't make him seem like such an ignorant child. _This is the kind of mistake Naruto would make_, he thought darkly to himself. _Don't act like the baka_.

"I thought your chakra affinity was for lightning, like mine" he said, carefully gauging Sifu's expression as he continued "not fire. Fire isn't my first affinity."

Sifu's face was absolutely blank, and Sasuke struggled not to shuffle his feet under his sensei's gaze. _Stand tall and confident_, he coached himself. _Look like an Uchiha, not a little boy_.

Sifu sighed, and Sasuke frantically searched his face for disappointment, but found only weariness.

"Explain what you mean by 'chakra affinity', please" Iroh said, and Sasuke's mouth dropped open, unbidden.

* * *

Training with Sifu was difficult. Sifu was demanding where Kakashi had been lackadaisical, and invested where Orochimaru had been disinterested.

Sasuke didn't have a basis for comparison. Most of his day wouldn't look that straining to a casual observer. He ran through his old katas in the morning first, then the katas that Sifu had taught him. He practiced with his regular skills, and sparred lightly with Sifu for a few hours. Then Sifu would have him read books and study philosophy and history, followed by meditation and long hours playing Pai Sho. He was surprised at how much he was learning, frankly.

Sifu wasn't just making him into a weapon, like Kakashi had been. Sifu did not see him as a mindless tool like a kunai, to be used to whatever end his village intended.

Orochimaru's goals hadn't been that much different from Kakashi's, in truth. His methods may have differed, but in the end Sasuke was literally going to be an empty vessel to be filled and used to further someone else's goals.

Kakashi may have had more of a passing fondness for him than Orochimaru, but Sasuke thought that may have had more to do with Kakashi still possessing some semblance of a soul than any actual effort on his former sensei's part.

Sifu didn't see him as a kunai to be used and discarded, but Sasuke still didn't see what Sifu was gaining out of their arrangement. Sifu had no requests for him outside of his company, no demands for commitment to himself or any of his goals.

Though Sasuke was having a very hard time determining what his sensei's goals were. He seemed to be a shiftless old man wandering the Land of Iron. He certainly didn't lack for power or wealth, so what could he possibly be gaining by helping Sasuke?

Maybe he was a fugitive from his native land. He had said he was well-known, before. After all he'd seen, Sasuke didn't doubt it. Though if he hadn't seen him strike down Orochimaru like the fist of an angry kami, he wouldn't have believed the tea-drinking, calm-demeanored man was capable of any more exertion than moving his Pai Sho pieces.

Sifu was an enigma. But Iroh wasn't a last name he was familiar with at all. Sasuke would have to do some investigating if he was going to continue to train with him.

Sasuke knew too much about the world to think that anyone had his best interests at heart. Everybody wanted something. But what did Sifu want?

With that in mind, Sasuke rolled over onto his stomach and made his peace with the day, preparing himself for the nightmares that lay within his own head.

* * *

The dream started the same every night. He "awoke" in his bed in the Uchiha compound to the sounds of screams and clashing of metal on metal. He crept out of his bedroom and down the hall to his parents' room, carefully and stealthily clinging to the shadows of the hallway. He was hoping to crawl into their room, see them peacefully sleeping and have his mother tell him that everything was fine, he was just hearing things and needed to go back to bed.

He was not at all prepared for what he saw.

Flames were licking voraciously at the walls of the bedroom, and his mother's body was crumpled on the floor by the door. He immediately dropped to the ground, to help her up, but when he touched her she was limp and unresponsive. He started to shiver uncontrollably, and frantically shook his mother's shoulders to no avail.

He started to whimper, and buried his head into his mother's cooling abdomen.

"Sasuke" he heard behind him, and he turned to see his older brother, Itachi, staring down at him.

What Sasuke did not fail to notice was his father's corpse at his feet.

"Why?" Sasuke whispered. "Why, Itachi?"

But in this dream, Sasuke didn't get an answer. The world changed around him, to the village Sifu had found him in.

Orochimaru was going from building to building, releasing snakes like slithering death. People were screaming, and Sasuke couldn't block them out. Fire was devouring homes and people alike, and Sasuke could smell the coppery hint of blood mixed with sweat and tangible fear in the air. This time he watched himself with growing contempt, as the Sasuke of a few short weeks ago stood frozen in the middle of the street.

He'd stood as still as the Hokage monument as his insides warred. One side told him that he should follow Orochimaru's lead and take a life. It was a necessary step on his path of vengeance. How could he defeat Itachi if he couldn't kill? Itachi could wipe out an entire clan of ninja, and if Sasuke couldn't even kill a civilian, he had no hope of killing Itachi.

The other side of him protested vigorously and violently. If he slaughtered civilians en masse, he would not only be as evil as Itachi, he would be cowardly. At least the Uchiha clan was full of trained ninja, and could defend themselves. These people were completely defenseless, and killing them was beneath him as an Uchiha and a ninja.

His internal debate raged on as the flames consumed the village and everyone in it, as they continued to shriek in pain and anguish. He didn't even notice the flames creeping up his legs until it was too late, and he was lost.

Sasuke awoke with a start, and took a long moment to calm his breathing and confirm his surroundings. He was relieved to find that he was in the house with Sifu, and he was relatively certain he was no longer dreaming.

He stretched out his back and legs, and slowly rose from his sleeping mat. Maybe it would be a good time to start his morning katas. It wasn't like he was going to get any more sleep, anyway.

Not that he'd enjoyed sleep for a long time.

* * *

Iroh was incredibly pleased with the results of Sasuke's training. The boy was impulsive, sure, but he was determined. It was much like trying to tame a raging river, but Iroh knew the secret to calm water was guidance and time in equal measure. Luckily, he seemed to have both. Mifune-san had informed him that it was very unlikely Konoha would even think to look for Sasuke in the Land of Iron, and even if they did, they would not be able to send a hunter-nin within the borders.

And everyone in the Earth and Fire Kingdoms thought Iroh was dead. No one else cared.

Iroh had started Sasuke off with a series of firebending katas the Imperial family used to train their children, and was gradually working him up to master-level katas. Sasuke had shown no ability to bend fire as of yet, but Iroh suspicioned that the spirits had plans for Sasuke, and it was best for him to be prepared.

Sasuke had taken easily to the sword, and he wielded it with a grace Iroh would have never been able to manage at that age. He would have to procure a good blade for him, soon. He could not be expected to wield rusted iron for long, and Sasuke always hungered for more.

It made him a fearsome student. He devoured the texts Iroh set out for him once he'd determined that they had merit, and he approached his physical training with ferocity unlike anything Iroh had ever seen. He stopped his musing to watch Sasuke switch from kata to kata, culminating in the fireball technique Sasuke had demonstrated a month ago. It tore through the trees at an alarming rate, which seemed to surprise Sasuke as much as it did Iroh. It was a far cry from the tree sizzling he'd performed then.

Well, perhaps like something he'd seen, then. But Sasuke would make for a very tiny dragon.

Iroh glanced back at his wayward student and was rewarded with the ghost of a smile slipping across Sasuke's face. Good to see he does actually know how to smile- Iroh thought contentedly, leaning back to embrace the sun.

* * *

"So, when are you going to teach me how to bend fire?" Sasuke asked calmly, sipping at his tea across the table from Iroh.

Iroh sighed sadly, placing his cup back down onto the table and looking directly into Sasuke's eyes.

"I don't know if you can" he admitted disappointedly, "no one in this land is born with the talent to bend. I do not know whether you can ever possess that ability, to be perfectly honest."

"What's the difference between my land and yours?" Sasuke queried as he absentmindedly traced the lip of his teacup with his finger.

Iroh considered for a moment. That was a very good question, actually. "Bending was a gift from the spirits" Iroh began to explain, before losing the brief spurt of inspiration that led him to start the sentence. He hesitated, and evaluated his response again.

"There are five kinds of bending" he started again, and Sasuke looked up, interested "and they were all gifts to humans from either animals or spirits."

"What are they?" Sasuke asked, placing his hands on the table and leaning in, and Iroh tried not to laugh about how obvious Sasuke was when he was interested in something.

"Hm" Iroh said, gathering a piece of paper and placing it on the table. He drew the four symbols of each of the nations, in a large circle. "There is fire bending, demonstrated here" and he pointed to the Fire Nation, as Sasuke craned his neck to look, "And there is earth bending, and air bending, and water bending." He pointed to each of them in turn, and explained the main differences between each of the bending types and their nations. After he was done, Sasuke leaned back into his chair and thought quietly for a moment.

"That's only four" Sasuke said finally. "What's the fifth?"

"Energy bending" Iroh sighed resignedly. "But it has long been lost to us."

"Hn" Sasuke grunted, and Iroh left the boy to his thoughts. It didn't do to disturb Sasuke when he wanted to be alone.

Iroh rose to leave the living room, and was shocked to hear Sasuke clear his throat.

"You were from the Fire Nation, right?" Sasuke grumbled, examining Iroh closely.

"No, I'm really a light fluffy airbender" Iroh smiled widely, moving his arms wide to gesture to himself.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and began ignoring Iroh again. Iroh giggled softly and silently made his exit, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't understand it. The flame danced, it flickered, licked at the air. It looked so warm and inviting.

To him, fire was friendly. It comforted him and filled the gaping hole in his heart his family had left behind. Fire was much-needed warmth in the chilly abandoned Uchiha district. He liked holding candles in his bare hand, letting the warm wax drip down on his frozen fingers. It slid comfortingly down his hand, covering his fragile skin with impenetrable armor, a warm wax hand holding his.

He'd never exactly realized how much he'd loved fire before. Or maybe just hadn't wanted to think about it. The reminder of his family cut deeper than he'd realized, and ever present. The Uchiha family was fire. The symbol for their clan was a ceremonial fan to feed the flames.

Perhaps the symbol was more apt then he'd realized.

Itachi had burned through them like over-dry leaves. Maybe most of them weren't fire, Sasuke conceded to himself. They were their clan symbol, fanning the flames. Real fires were few and far between.

So was Sasuke a flame, burning brightly? Or was he further kindling to fuel Itachi's wildfire?

He felt warmth behind him, leaned to it. A hand on his shoulder broke his trance, and Sasuke looked up to see Sifu looking down at him.

"You've been staring at that flame for hours." Iroh murmured kindly, and Sasuke refused to move. The warmth from his sensei's hand grounded him, nourished him. Sifu felt like the sun, all warmth and light. If Sasuke spoke, the hand might move, and then he'd feel cold again.

But he couldn't sit like this forever, he knew. He closed his eyes and drunk in the feeling of warmth that Sifu gave him. "I'm sorry, Sifu. I should have been training." The hand left, and with it, the warmth and comfort it brought. Sasuke's body reflexively tried to follow it, but he wouldn't allow it.

Sifu laughed, and Sasuke couldn't help but be startled. He looked up at his sensei , who was smiling happily at him. "Who says you haven't?"

* * *

Iroh led Sasuke outside, and sat down on the grass. The house was next to a clearing, and the sunlight there was bright and warm. He sighed happily, and bade Sasuke to join him on the ground.

"What are we doing?" Sasuke asked grumpily, but Iroh could hear the relief and curiosity in his voice.

"You needed to be near fire" Iroh shrugged, as he basked in the warmth of Agni. "The sun is the best there is."

Sasuke cracked a small smile and spread himself out on the grass.

"You know" Iroh supplied "I'm starting to think you might be a firebender anyway." He could hear the grass move as Sasuke twisted to look at him.

"But I've never made fire without a jutsu" Sasuke groaned. "How could I ever be a bender?"

Iroh considered quietly. "I don't know" he admitted. "Perhaps I need to do more research. But we will find a way somehow." He turned his head and met Sasuke's hopeful gaze. "I promise. If there is a way, we will find it."

And if there was a way, there was a good chance the White Lotus already had information on it.

He marveled yet again at the calming light of the sun, and smiled.

"Is this what firebenders like to do?" Sasuke asked sleepily.

"We not only love the sun, we need it" Iroh stated calmly, checking on his apprentice again. He seemed to be falling asleep, which was good. At least in the sunlight he was unlikely to have any more nightmares.

"I thought you said that the Fire Nation was at war with everyone else?" Sasuke yawned, settling more comfortably on the soft, warm grass.

"They are."

"Then how in hell is the Fire Nation conquering everybody else, if they're all like you?" Sasuke tried to demand, as sleep slowly overcame his senses.

Iroh chuckled warmly. "Very efficiently, in between sun naps and tea breaks."

Sasuke groaned.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!"

She heard Naruto in the distance, and it took all of her strength of will not to bolt and expose herself. She weaved expertly and fluidly through the throng of people in the street, hoping he would lose her in the crowd. Just a little farther, she thought to herself. Then you'll be in Ino-pig's flower shop, and Naruto wouldn't go in there for all the ramen in the world.

"Where are you going, Sakura-chan?" she heard next to her ear. Sakura squeaked in alarm, and turned to pound Naruto's fat head into the dirt. But when she saw the look on his face, she couldn't bear to do it.

In the months since Sasuke left, Naruto had been melancholy, a word Sakura would have never thought would be an accurate descriptor for him. He followed her, Kakashi, and Iruka relentlessly. He never said why, but Sakura knew.

He thought they all would leave him, just like Sasuke.

He pretended to be the same. He insisted on dragging them all to Ichiraku Ramen, he made the same awful jokes. He showed up for training every day on time, even though both he and Sakura knew that Kakashi would be at least several hours late. He smiled happily and widely for anyone who would look his way, but Sakura knew better.

Not that I'm not coping in my own way, she thought irritably. While Naruto was clinging to the few friends he had, she had begun to push hers away. She spent all of her time following Tsunade, reading, and training. Outside of "team" practices or work in the hospital, she hid in her room with books and scrolls, poring over everything she could find.

The subject matter wasn't particularly important. Odd subjects could give her inspiration for her medical techniques, and she just needed to constantly be doing something- anything, really- to keep herself from wallowing. She wouldn't allow it.

"Hey, Naruto" she offered softly, giving him a small wave. Naruto looked shocked, and seemed to be waiting for her to hit him. She felt guilty that he should be so accustomed to being hit, and offered him her hand instead. Perhaps a peace offering was in order. He desperately wanted the company, and she needed food anyway.

"Ramen?" she asked nicely, as Naruto grinned and accepted her hand as if it were made of all his hopes and dreams. Maybe it is, she considered, and let him hold it as he pulled her across the market to Ichiraku.

At least his appetite is in good shape, she thought tiredly as Naruto plowed through his eighth bowl. "So, you have any plans?" she queried, as she absentmindedly drew pictures on the counter with her finger.

Inner Sakura wasn't so kind. _'Probably eating more ramen, and following us home'_, she scoffed. _'Then he'll light the Hokage Tower on fire with his stupidity as a beacon to lead Sasuke-kun home'. _

_'Shut up'_, she told Inner Sakura. '_Maybe I'll agree with you later, but not today.'_

Naruto's eyes lit up at her question, and she immediately was filled with regret for doubting Inner Sakura.

"I just talked to Baa-chan, and I convinced her to let us look for Sasuke!" Naruto crowed happily, as he thumped his hands on the table. Broth went flying across the table, and Sakura thought she could see it coming towards her in slow motion as it landed directly on her silk dress.

_'One thing at a time, Outer!'_ Inner Sakura shrieked. '_We get our Sasuke-kun back! Dattebayo!'_

_'That __**is**__ an important thing to consider'_, Sakura thought as her heart simultaneously fluttered.

"When?" she stuttered helplessly, as her mind ran through all the things she would need to bring. She was going to bring Sasuke back, and she was determined to do it in a manner that made her superiority as a girlfriend obvious. Ino wasn't going to stand a chance.

Naruto grinned in a feral manner. "We leave next week, to go kick Orochimaru's scaly butt." He made an exaggerated scowl face, then added, "Well. We're not supposed to kick him. Baa-chan says he's like an S class asshat or something. I wasn't paying much attention."

She cracked her knuckles in anticipation. _'That stupid snake is never going to know what hit him! Dattebayo!'_ Inner Sakura cackled evilly.

"I can't wait" she stated calmly, being entirely honest for once in her life.

* * *

OMAKE:

"Holding a grudge is like drinking a poison and hoping the other person will die." Iroh stated kindly, bending down to view the irate teenager in front of him.

A look of shock crossed Sasuke's face, and Iroh could tell that he was thinking carefully about what he had said. He began to relax the tension that had been building in his back, when Sasuke looked back up at him with a strange expression. "People believe that there's a way to do that?"

A bit startled, Iroh raised an eye brow. "Well, yes," he admitted reluctantly, "that's called voodoo. But that isn't what I meant. I was speaking figuratively."

"Teach me this voodoo," Sasuke demanded.

"No…" Iroh grumbled, as he yanked back on Sasuke's humorously oversized collar.


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura didn't know why she was surprised.

"You really listened to Dickless?" Sai monotoned, as he placidly stood by the gate next to Sakura.

Sakura sighed heavily, and slapped herself on the forehead. "Of course…" she groaned, pressing her fingers to her temples and shutting her eyes tightly. The hope that closing her eyes would blind everyone else to her shame was asking too much, however. She opened her eyes to see Sai staring expressionlessly back at her.

"Sai's right, you know" Kakashi intoned kindly from behind her. "We aren't even going through Sound. This mission is for us to go back to the Land of Snow, to do a personal favor for Princess Kazahana." He turned a lazy eye in Sai's direction. "Sai, you weren't with us the first time, but she asked for our team specifically."

"Well, that deteriorated fast" Sakura deadpanned, as she bent down to pick up her travel bag on the ground.

"Don't worry, you two. We can wave at Sasuke in the Land of Sound from the deck of the ship as we pass." Kakashi called as he shuffled past Sakura.

_'Maybe you can see Sasuke-kun closer when I throw you off the boat, geezer!'_ Inner Sakura growled as Sakura gently dusted off her travel bag and situated it over her shoulder.

"Are we taking the boat from the Land of Iron again, Sensei?" Sakura looked over to her borderline-neglectful teacher with what she hoped came across as youthful interest and not murderous intent.

He hummed in the affirmative, and started to meander off in the general direction of the Land of Iron.

"Wait, wait!" She heard Naruto screech from behind her, lugging a gigantic travel bag.

"Where have you _been_, Naruto?" she asked tiredly, knowing already that she didn't even want to hear the answer.

Naruto prattled on for what seemed like ten billion years while they made their way to the Land of Iron, about some sort of packing mishap and not having enough room to pack instant ramen (she didn't even have the energy to start on what was wrong with that). She was grateful when they finally reached the border and Naruto's attention was temporarily diverted to the unlucky civilian in charge of documenting their identities. She took a moment to embrace the temporary blessed silence while Naruto harassed the living daylights out of someone else.

"Enjoy your stay in the Land of Iron!" the civilian chirped happily, in so small part because she would finally be free from Naruto's oppressive cheerfulness. Sakura could sympathize, but now Naruto's attention was fully upon her again. _Why can't Sai or Kakashi ever entertain him for me? _She asked herself exasperatedly, kicking ferociously at the dirt in front of her.

As if answering her silent (but entirely obvious) plea, Sai started an argument with Naruto about his nickname. Strangely enough, Naruto didn't like being called "Dickless". _'Alert the media'_, Inner Sakura stated wryly, before going into a long rant about the general injustices of being a kunoichi subjected to Sai's complete social ineptitude, Kakashi's obvious indifference, and Naruto's relentless optimism. It was enough to tear a lesser person apart.

'_Lucky I'm so fabulous!_' Inner Sakura brushed imaginary dust off her top casually.

Indeed.

The general attitude of her group was as cold as the glistening snow on the ground as they marched with grim determination towards the coast. When they arrived in a town close to the coastline, Kakashi signaled them to stop. He meandered into a hotel, and herded his irritable students into the hotel room they would all be sharing.

"We'll rest here for the night" he said sleepily. "Our boat leaves tomorrow. So we can grab dinner and get settled, and leave in the morning."

Sakura took a good long look at the town around her and giggled happily. It was a cute town, and it looked to be full of shopping opportunities. Towns near the ocean often were, as they were great tourist destinations. And since the Land of Iron was about as safe as it got, they had all the nicest stuff.

'_Now we can get cute stuff and rub Ino-pig's face in it! Chyaa!_' Inner Sakura shouted victoriously. Sakura only grinned in response, and gave her sweetest look to her sensei as she dropped her bag onto the floor where none of her inept teammates would trip over it and fall on a kunai. "Sensei, is it all right if I take a look around? I'd like to do some exploring while we're here, and maybe some quick shopping."

Kakashi shrugged, and flopped haphazardly onto the largest bed. He pulled out a book. '_Icha Icha Paradise, again? Doesn't he know Icha Icha Bondage is out now? Stupid Sensei._' Inner Sakura scoffed, and Sakura wanted to nod her head in agreement. Speaking of which, there had to be a store in town that had it in stock. Reading scandalous materials would doubtless speed the hideous amount of time they would be spending on the boat.

And maybe rattle her Sensei a bit. That would be amusing, at least. Maybe she could get him to beg to borrow her copy.

She grinned and waved at her teammates as she exited the room, humming happily to herself as she planned her attack upon the unsuspecting merchants unlucky enough to do business here.

* * *

Sasuke was thoroughly unimpressed by Sifu's idea of a "tactical exercise". Though to be fair, he was 99% sure that his sensei had only used that particular wording to trick him out of the house and into a nice town where Sifu could get some shopping done.

Sasuke supposed that sitting in a tea house was not the absolute worst way he could have been spending his day, but it still didn't sit well. And Sifu had excluded him on purpose, depositing him in the tea house under the very attentive eye of its middle aged female proprietor. She evidently thought Sasuke was "cuter than a kitten's pink nose".

Sifu, of course, had helpfully addressed the woman directly, informing her that he was very concerned for his nephew's well-being while he was out doing the shopping. Evidently Sasuke was "emotionally vulnerable", "shy", and "thoroughly deprived of hugs".

The tea house owner was doing her level best to fill the gap of hugs in his life, one drop of water in the ocean at a time. _Thank Kami for that_, he mused grumpily as he nursed his lukewarm oolong tea. He gazed solemnly out the window, watching the people walk by on the street.

_Pink hair_, Sasuke noted clinically, before going into temporary shock and diving behind the curtain separating the teahouse from the owner's home. He cowered behind the curtain, and was only slightly surprised when he heard the owner coming back to check on him.

"Honey, are you all right? What happened?" She cooed, pushing his hair around in a reassuring manner and squeezing him tightly with the other arm.

"I just saw a girl I knew" he mumbled, knowing pulling away was about as futile as trying to get that baka Naruto to leave him alone. Besides, if he played this right, he might escape this village without having to be seen or captured by his incredibly useless former team.

She brightened slightly. "Do you want me to go get her? You shouldn't be so shy, you know. You're a real cutie, if you just asked them out you'd have no trouble at all." She stood up and winked down at him, offering her hand to pull him up.

That was not the reaction he had anticipated.

He could follow his mentor's example and use an emotional ploy. He'd never done it before, but Sifu had done it in front of him enough times that he thought he could handle it. He was always amazed at how well it worked, especially considering that Sifu was at best a harmless-looking old man and at worst a terrifying war criminal hiding from the authorities.

But Sasuke was an **_Uchiha_**. It was below him to use such underhanded and idiotic tactics.

On the other hand, the honorable Uchiha path led straight to Naruto and being unceremoniously hauled back to Konoha over Kakashi's shoulder like a sack of rice flour. Or worse, being embarrassed by having to ask his geriatric companion for a rescue.

That didn't seem very honorable to Sasuke, and even less appealing. Then again…

He was the last Uchiha. And seeing as he was suddenly head of a household of one, it might be time for a few changes. Especially if it worked. Emotional manipulation did seem like a common and capable tool for a shinobi. When he thought about it like that…

He shook his head frantically, and shrunk down into the floor. _Time to emulate Sifu_, he thought gladly, momentarily offering a thanks to Kami for finally finding him a role model who wasn't as socially handicapped as Naruto with a bullhorn.

"No, not that girl" he choked out pathetically, reaching out towards his potential savior with the same look Sifu had used when he had unceremoniously dumped him here. "You don't understand. She…"

"She what?" the woman asked anxiously, carefully accepting his outstretched hand, and leaning down to offer him a generous view of her cleavage. '_Kami, Sifu is smart'_ Sasuke grinned inwardly.

He rooted himself into the floor and mustered the most pathetic look he could, before staring her straight in the eye.

"I liked her" he whispered, hoping he could get through the sentence without laughing, "I told her how I felt, and she…"

"Yes?" the woman whispered, moving closer to him and putting her other hand over his, which he gripped lightly.

"She laughed at me." He whispered again, moving his glance away from her face, down across her cleavage, and down to the floor. He didn't think he could look her in the face anymore without losing it. "She told all of her friends, and they all laughed at me."

It was amazing to watch how fast the woman went from sympathetic to being filled with a blindingly hot rage.

"You stay right back here" she stated calmly, though Sasuke could almost see the anger radiating off her skin. "I'll go take care of it, if she comes in here."

"All right" Sasuke whispered as sadly as he could muster, choking on the laugh that threatened to bubble up his throat.

She directed him to the living room of her home, where Sasuke was much more content to wait out the entirety of Sifu's trip on her couch, watching television and sipping on the hot cocoa with marshmallows that the owner brought back to him intermittently. The plate of cookies was pretty nice too.

Sifu evidently knew even more than Sasuke had suspected.

* * *

After safely depositing his adorably grumpy student in very capable hands, Iroh finally felt safe to begin his long and well-deserved shopping trip. He had already rented a wagon and driver to help them bring their purchases back to the house, so everything was ready.

He deposited the books he'd found for Sasuke into the cart carefully, and gave directions to the driver to pick up furniture he had already purchased.

Oh, Sasuke would be so surprised. Partly because the best part was yet to come. Iroh didn't have many clothes, and Sasuke had even less. Most of Sasuke's were completely unwearable, due to singe marks and close calls with kunai, not to mention his clothes with his clan's symbol on them. Iroh had finally convinced Sasuke to stop wearing them for the time being, but that would be difficult if those were the only clothes the boy had.

If only he knew how to dress a thirteen year old boy. How was he going to do that? He knew better than to drag his recalcitrant student into a clothing store.

Then, a ray of sunlight appeared, cutting the fog of his confusion.

"Hello" Iroh waved cheerfully at a pretty young girl with pink hair.

Startled, she looked up at him, and blushed. "I'm sorry, miss" he apologized sweetly, carefully trying to maintain the guise of a hapless elderly man, "I was just hoping you could help me."

She smiled, and Iroh couldn't help but wish Sasuke had any interest in pretty girls like this. It would be much easier for Iroh to help him with.

"I'm sorry, sir" she cocked her head to the side, "I'm not from here. I don't think I'd be able to help you."

"Ah" Iroh felt disappointed, but it wasn't really much of a setback. "I was just trying to pick out clothes for my nephew. His parents passed away, and I am afraid that I don't know how to take care of things like this for him. I thought since you were about his age, you might be able to help me…"

"Is he with you?" she asked, suddenly much more interested in the conversation.

"Not currently" Iroh admitted, waving his left hand off in the general direction of the teahouse. "He's not very interested in such things. He's a very good looking boy, but he has demonstrated little interest in his personal appearance as of yet."

The girl nodded sagely, and pointed at a clothing shop down the street. "I'll try to help you, I just got most of my shopping done anyway."

"I can see that" Iroh stated calmly, acknowledging the piles of shopping bags around the girl's feet. "Do you need any help carrying that? I have a cart and driver I've hired to bring my goods back to my home."

* * *

Sakura had a new sense of respect for the elderly man in front of her. Bringing a cart to do your shopping was certainly the way to do it. All she had were two lazy teammates and an even lazier sensei. Of course, she'd brought a few extra storage scrolls just in case, but still.

And picking out clothes for a boy wouldn't be the worst way to end her day. She now had enough cute outfits to officially give Ino a conniption fit, and enough smut to last her through a year-long siege.

_'Besides, it lets us pretend to pick out outfits for our adorable Sasuke-kun!'_ Inner Sakura chirped happily.

It was actually a lot of fun.

Uncle Iroh (and she didn't know why it didn't seem odd to call him that, he just seemed like everyone's uncle) was quite clever and rather entertaining. He seemed absolutely mystified by many of the ninja fashions they had on display, and Sakura had a large amount of fun explaining their actual uses. He was obviously a civilian, but he was able to follow her line of reasoning and various recommendations.

She found a really cute white traditional style shirt, with slashed sleeves and blue hakama, with a blue shirt to go under the white one (Kami, boys were ridiculously cute in traditional clothing). She replicated the outfit in a few other colors, and found much more workout clothes. Uncle had been accepting of her suggestion to buy some ninja fashions as well. She had reasoned that even if he was just learning to be a samurai, mesh underclothing and other basics for clothing would not be amiss.

They ended up with a gigantic pile of clothes for Uncle's obviously useless nephew, and were on their way to take their selections to the clerk when Sakura saw it. She dove towards it with all the intent of a predator, nearly knocking over Uncle in the process.

A kimono top, woven of blue and pink silk. It was the perfect combination of sexy and functional, mesh underwiring under a thick layer of strong silk. The sleeves were deceptively large, for storing kunai and shuriken. The fabric would be nigh-impossible to tear, it was full of pockets that wouldn't leave unflattering (or obvious) bulges… '_Sasuke-kun couldn't possibly deny our incredible beauty in this! Chyaa!'_ Inner Sakura cried out victoriously.

Sakura inched closer, pulling the price tag out so she could see the exact cost of Ino's will to live.

She slumped pathetically onto the ground. It was beautiful, it would look amazing on her, and it would be practical for her work. It also appeared to cost more than Konoha's economic infrastructure.

Sakura didn't know it was possible to be so heartbroken over clothing. She would have sold every dress she owned to be able to wear that top. She would sell Naruto to be able to keep that kimono top. (She'd throw in Sai and sensei for free and trot along home happily, while she was at it).

_'Just how much is a loudmouthed jinchuuriki worth, anyhow?_' Inner Sakura asked contemplatively.

She heard someone clearing her throat behind her, and turned bashfully to meet Uncle's concerned gaze.

"It's… really pretty" she offered weakly.

Uncle giggled, and held his hand out to her. She took it halfheartedly, and he pulled her to her feet.

"You've been very kind to help me" he said warmly, inclining his head towards the top in question. "It would only be fair that I repaid the favor."

_'Victory for the beautiful Sakura yet again! Ino-pig, eat your porky heart out!_' Inner Sakura crowed, and Sakura entirely agreed.

The victorious kunoichi, by far the most beautiful and clever of all in the land, (with a forehead that was totally cute and not oversized at all) graciously allowed her new best friend to treat her to that kimono top and a gorgeous set of matching hairsticks that she would have modified into weapons when she had the time. While they were at it, Uncle Iroh brought over a half-length kimono with a similar aesthetic in spring colors. She noted that he wasn't nearly as bad at this as he'd claimed to be.

And he appeared to have no budget, which was even better.

As they left the store with approximately half of their merchandise, both Iroh and Sakura were humming happily. 'You know Sakura, I've always said that the only thing better than finding what you need, is finding something you didn't need at a great bargain!" Uncle Iroh stated, putting all their bags neatly in the cart.

"Are you sure you aren't related to the Haruno clan in any way?" Sakura grinned.

* * *

"Oh, Kami, no" Naruto whispered, when the door swung open to reveal none other than Sakura Haruno, with ten bellboys struggling to carry bag upon bag of purchases.

"Does Hag really make enough money for all that?" Sai asked Naruto curiously, cocking his head to the side like a baffled puppy.

"It's best not to ask about any of it" Kakashi said firmly but quietly, never removing his eyes from his book.

Of course, it was rather hard to avoid talking about it, as the sheer number of bags soon threatened to drown them all in a sea of plastic.

"I got you all something!" Sakura said smugly, glowing beatifically in a manner that Kakashi knew only led to trouble.

"Really, Sakura-chan?" Naruto bit at the bait, making Kakashi wince. '_At least I always know where the weak link is,_' he considered sadly.

"I know that your higher body fat keeps you warm, Sai-kun, but I was still concerned, so I bought you a long shirt" Sakura brandished said garment like the weapon it was, before thrusting it at Sai.

While Sai was busy inspecting himself for any sign of excess fat, Sakura turned to Naruto, who evidently had no idea what was coming.

"And Naruto, I bought a very nice outfit for you. I know blue and white aren't really your favorite colors, but I thought it would look very nice on you." Sakura laid out the same kind of outfit she'd gotten for Uncle Iroh's nephew. It was such a cute outfit, she needed to see someone in it. "The blue really works with your eyes" she smiled sweetly, as Naruto's eyes grew wide. He immediately snatched it off of the bed and ran to the bathroom to try it on.

Now it was Kakashi's turn, and he was in turns interested and terrified. Naruto seemed to have gotten a nice present. Sai had, too, but it came with a whip-like insult. He steeled himself for the inevitable, and turned away from his book to meet her eyes like a fellow predator.

And failed miserably. She looked amused, like she was a cat, and the mouse she had designated for dinner was trying to fend her off with a toothpick. She got up, and handed him a smaller bag. "This is your present, Kakashi-sensei" she said sweetly, but Kakashi could hear the subtext in her voice.

"So I take it the shopping trip went well?" he ventured timidly, right hand twitching behind the cover of his book.

"Oh, yes" Sakura said smoothly, folding a kimono combat top (and wasn't that new) into her travel bag. "I met the nicest older man, going shopping for his nephew, and we had a nice chat. Obviously, I found all sorts of wonderful things" as she gestured to Sai, subconsciously pulling his belly top down "and there was a woman in a tea shop who threw boiling hot water at me. I've never seen a civilian with killing intent like that." She pursed her lips as if in thought. "It was a bit impressive, but I easily escaped into the bookstore."

His blood froze in his veins. If she always got this awful after going shopping, he was going to burn the Konoha market to the ground. He didn't think the Land of Fire could take it.

He hesitantly opened the bag to find the newest Icha Icha inside. His head shot up quickly to meet her gaze, and she just continued to look expectantly back at him.

"Thank you" was all he could muster, trying to compute that Sakura had essentially just bought her sensei porn.

"It's a long boat trip" Sakura shrugged, as she turned to sort through the rest of her haul. "I thought you might need it."

* * *

Iroh whistled happily as he and Sasuke went about the long and arduous business of unpacking a wagon-full of purchases.

Sasuke was somewhat less excited.

"Why did you buy so much, Sensei?" Sasuke grumped, as he grabbed another armful of his new clothes to bring to his room.

"Oh, a pretty girl helped me. It was hard to tell her no" Iroh chirped. He unpacked his own sets of clothes, and began to put them into his dresser. "I believe she was from your village, the Hidden Leaf, is that right?"

He heard Sasuke freeze immediately, and poked his head out of his bedroom. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I didn't tell her who I was shopping for, and I do not believe she saw you."

Sasuke breathed a heavy sigh of relief, before opening one of the packages to view his new clothes. "Yeah, Sakura does know how to shop for clothes at least."

"Do you like them?" Iroh asked seriously as he eyed his young charge.

"They seem like nice clothes" Sasuke agreed hesitantly, "and they should be good for working in. She has good taste."

"So you know her well?" Iroh asked knowingly, as Sasuke tensed up like a cat about to hiss at an intruder.

"She was on my team. So, my team was in the town with us." Sasuke said shortly. "I saw her while I was in the teahouse."

"Oh?" Iroh inquired, rather interested in the turn of events. "Why didn't you talk to her?"

Sasuke looked at him like he'd just bitten the head off a snake.

"She was on my team. They'd haul me back to Konoha, and either kill me or have me under house arrest." Sasuke turned away, suddenly very interested in the seam of his new shirt.

"She has a sharp eye, how didn't she see you?" Iroh asked. He knew that Sasuke evidently hadn't been enamored with his teammates, but he could hardly imagine a thirteen year old willingly ignoring his only friends.

"I ducked behind the curtain and I told the shop owner that Sakura dumped me like a sack of fish heads." Sasuke stated sourly, throwing shirts haphazardly into his room.

Iroh couldn't help it. The laugh bubbled up into his throat and right out of his mouth. "So I take it you learned something from me after all?" he gasped happily, grasping at his chest and struggling for air.

Sasuke gave a slight, crooked smile, and turned to look him in the face. "Perhaps. She believed me and fed me cookies and hot chocolate all day while I laid on the couch in her house."

That was really impressive, actually. Though the kid's natural good looks certainly didn't hurt matters insofar as women were concerned, Iroh conceded. Still. "That's very impressive, I'm proud of you." He beamed at his student, and Sasuke glowed right back.

"I'd never been good with girls before" Sasuke conceded quietly, looking down and away from Iroh a bit.

"Ah, but you are now" Iroh stated in a contented manner, as he leaned down a bit to look directly at Sasuke.

"Well, they followed me around a lot, but I didn't really like them. I couldn't get rid of them, either." Sasuke clarified, to Iroh's great amusement.

"We all have our burdens to bear" Iroh said, trying to contain the smirk that wanted to spread itself across his face. "Was Sakura one of those girls?"

Sasuke nodded quietly, and turned to contemplate the many mysteries of sleeve seams again.

* * *

Hi, people who are reading this! I wouldn't normally update in one day, but today happened to be fairly good for writing. Lazy Sundays, who knew?

In any case, thank you for taking the time to read my story. If you would be able and willing, I would love to hear from you! It's nice to be able to get feedback. Thank you again!


	5. Chapter 5

"The Fire Diamyo wants me to do what?" Tsunade growled, slamming her sake bowl onto the table and grasping desperately for the bottle to refill it.

Shizune smiled slightly, and offered her the mission dossier which Tsunade took, scowling.

Tsunade reviewed its contents quickly, eyes narrowing as they reached the bottom.

"He wants me to go to the Land of Tea to negotiate a trade contract as a personal favor" Tsunade grumbled, reaching again for her sake.

Shizune considered confiscating the intoxicant, but rethought it. "It could be a nice vacation for you, shishou" she offered helpfully, eyeing her compatriot in the corner of the room. "You could also take the opportunity to show Sakura how to properly participate in a negotiation, so you'd be able to send her later in your stead."

Sakura looked shocked, but Tsunade seemed to be considering the option.

'You've always liked Tea Country, and we haven't been there in years" Shizune continued more confidently, "there are so many places we liked to visit there". Shizune slowly frowned as she remembered exactly why she'd stopped letting Tsunade take her to Tea Country in the first place, 'Like the bars… and, well, the bars… and that one casino with a bar' she internalized, and to her horror she noted that across the room Tsunade was thinking along the same lines with an entirely different emotional response.

"Yes, that could work" Tsunade cackled, and Shizune could see poor Sakura writhing in despair, a veritable dark cloud forming over her in a very localized weather anomaly. "You can do all my paperwork for me in my absence."

Shizune blanched. She hadn't considered that part yet.

Tsunade stood quickly, pushing her desk away from her. It slid a foot across the floor, and Shizune tried not to think about the damage being done to the woodwork.

Tsunade sauntered past Shizune, and out the door. Before she left the office, she turned with a wicked grin on your face.

"Sakura, better start packing" she called smugly, before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Sasuke had been sitting in front of the candles for hours, laboriously lighting, snuffing, and relighting them to no avail. The spark Sifu had been telling him about just wasn't coming, and he was starting to wonder if he would ever be able to bend fire like his sensei.

Maybe he should leave. Sasuke knew he'd made quite a bit of progress on other skills and that his time hadn't been wasted. Sifu had shown him how to use different kinds of swords, and his fire and lightning jutsu were definitely more powerful than they ever had been. (Clearly, he had been onto something with the absurd claims about meditation and sun naps that Sasuke had initially dismissed as pathetic attempts to avoid working). He'd also noticed some difference in his taijutsu level when someone had had the infinitely idiotic idea of trying to mug himself and Sifu. His movements felt more fluid, and he found that he was easily disposing of his enemies with very little effort. Sifu had taught him to use an opponent's size, speed, and momentum against them, with some rather brutal results.

But he still wasn't able to make fire the way Sifu did. Sifu could loose fire with minimal movements or breathe it out just as easily as Sasuke breathed air.

If he didn't start making progress in firebending soon, Sasuke would need to leave. The longer he stayed with Sifu, the more relaxed he found himself. That wasn't good.

He liked Sifu, and didn't want Itachi to come and try to hurt him. And if Sasuke had to hide behind Sifu, he knew he would always regret it.

Sasuke decided that if in another month, he hadn't shown any firebending ability he would need to leave and find another teacher. Sifu was admittedly competent, but he wasn't a ninja and he had no knowledge of their techniques. Sifu wouldn't be able to offer him anything else, and Sasuke couldn't afford to waste his time.

A month, then. Sasuke focused again on the candle directly in front of him, and tried to force it to light.

Just how long would Sifu really want to be out wandering the streets in the Land of Tea, anyway?

* * *

"Thank you very much" Iroh smiled at the pretty woman minding the yakitori stand. She giggled quietly, and sent a flirty look back up at him while she counted out his change.

Ah, the Land of Tea. Now this was a place Iroh could see staying for his retirement. The weather was temperate, the people were friendly, there were so many things to see… and of course, they had teas Iroh had never even heard of.

Even better, Mifune-san was the one who sent him here. He was to observe the state of relations between Konoha's Hokage and some sort of merchant kingpin, who was a personal friend to the Fire Daimyo. The Land of Iron wanted to make sure that the Land of Fire wasn't making any untoward requests that would jeopardize the stability between the countries.

Mifune-san didn't seem the type to get too involved in politics, but four nations starving as a result of a monopoly would certainly be the sort of thing they would like to prevent. Iroh could understand his concern, and so he had promised his patron his undivided attention on the subject.

But the Hokage hadn't arrived yet, so he had set Sasuke to meditating and began to loiter in the area of the merchant's headquarters. Luckily for Iroh, it was in the middle of the business district, so he would be able to get some more shopping done while he waited.

The fact that the Land of Tea had an inordinate amount of pretty women certainly didn't hurt, either.

He turned slowly after taking the yakitori in hand, to take another glance out at the entrance to said merchant's offices, and was somewhat startled to see a familiar shade of pink among the multitude of heads in the crowd.

"Uncle Iroh!" Sakura yelped happily, as she broke free of the crowd and quickly walked towards him, with the most beautiful woman Iroh had ever seen following her closely.

"Ah, Sakura" he greeted warmly, "it is good to see you again. How are you doing?"

Sakura started into a very long story about a long mission in a place called Snow Country, and how unsurprisingly cold it was, returning home to Konoha, and a multitude of incidents involving a girl named "Ino-pig". Iroh nodded sagely with a blank face while she continued in her stories of her exploits and her (honestly somewhat frightening) hatred of paperwork.

"What about you, Uncle? How is your nephew?" Sakura finished happily, while Iroh was still reeling at how she managed to convey so much information in one breath.

"I am doing well, Sakura" he said kindly, patting her on the shoulder as she beamed up at him. "Thank you again for helping me pick out clothing for him, your instincts were entirely accurate."

That was true, actually. Sasuke had worn them all without complaint, and had surprisingly shown a marked preference for her favorite outfit for him, wearing all variations of it near constantly.

"That's good" Sakura smiled contentedly, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. She could be such a ray of sunshine, Iroh couldn't quite imagine how Sasuke hadn't found himself noticing her charms.

"And your new kimono?" he inquired curiously, "Was it to your liking?"

It was, as Sakura explained in great detail the many tactical advantages given by a very pretty kimono with numerous pockets. When she finished again many minutes later, Iroh nearly let out a sigh of relief. Sakura would never lack for something to say, evidently. It was one of her most charming (and exhausting) attributes that he had noted the first time he had met her.

"And who is your captivating companion, Sakura?" he smiled charmingly, as he turned to the woman behind her.

"This is my Shishou-" Sakura started, but the woman behind her put her hand on Sakura's shoulder and Sakura stopped cold.

"I am Tsunade of the Sannin, Hokage of Konoha" she said calmly and confidently, as Sakura shrunk back behind her.

Iroh had to admit, he was only slightly surprised. Now that he was really looking at her, Tsunade practically radiated authority and power. Though he thought he recalled the information Mifune had provided him indicated that Tsunade was much older than the woman before him.

"I am Uncle Iroh" he bowed gracefully, inclining his head and carefully noting the amount of weapons both women had on their belts. He straightened a moment later, and saw that Tsunade was staring at him, doubtless examining him to see if he was a potential threat. Luckily, there was no way for her to identify him as a firebender, and he was no longer in the habit of carrying a weapon.

"So I gathered" Tsunade said drily, as she waved Sakura in the direction of the merchant's headquarters across the street. "It was nice to make your acquaintance, Uncle Iroh, but I'm afraid my student and I have business we have to attend to."

She turned away from him slowly, placing her hand on Sakura's back and guiding her away from him. Iroh smiled and waved at them, as Sakura frantically waved back and Tsunade gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

Well, Lady Tsunade might be somewhat resistant to his charms, but at least his little "niece" wasn't. As long as Tsunade didn't keep Sakura from him, Mifune-san would get all the information he needed.

Iroh smiled and turned back to the pretty woman back at the yakitori stand, who was shyly but pointedly looking away from his gaze. There were certainly worse ways to wait a few hours, he thought as he made his way back to her.

* * *

The meeting was horrifically long and boring, but Tsunade managed to negotiate an agreement with the goods magnate that satisfied her. After escaping (and she would consider it escaping, she had barely been able to restrain herself from shunshining to the nearest bar as soon as the stuffy pig in a suit rose from his seat) she quietly and gracefully made her way back to her dignitaries' suite and deposited Sakura there.

"Now, I don't care what you do" she started off saying, and then caught herself. She didn't want any diplomatic incidents that she'd have to mop up later, and so eyed her student carefully. Sakura was sitting on the couch quietly and staring attentively back up at Tsunade, with her arms wrapped around her knees. Tsunade sighed, and massaged her temples.

"Look, I'm going to the bar. You can do what you want, but be back before it gets dark and don't do anything stupid." She turned quickly on her heel and made her way to the door, then stopped and turned back to look at Sakura again appraisingly. "And if some idiot picks a fight with you, I expect you to end it. I won't have anyone saying my apprentice is a sissy." Having said her piece, Tsunade was satisfied with the extent of her instructions and left the room, shoving all the tension from the meeting to the back of her mind as she contemplated what drink she would like to get first.

After her deceptively dignified shishou left the room, Sakura jumped up off the couch and to her feet. "I wonder if Uncle is still in the market" she mused out loud, as she went to change her shoes at the door.

Uncle Iroh was the only person she knew that was any good at listening, and besides, she wanted to do some shopping, and maybe he would go with her. One way to find out, she supposed.

It didn't take her long to find Uncle Iroh in the market, as he was sitting quietly on a bench soaking up the sun. "Uncle!" she called happily, skipping across the street to sit beside him.

He slowly opened his eyes, and smiled welcomingly back at her. "Sakura, it is good to see you again. Did your business go well?"

She nodded quickly, and pulled at his hands to lift him off the bench. She gestured towards a ramen stand with her free hand, and Iroh complied, shuffling amiably after her as she tugged at his arm.

"Yeah, it was a really boring business meeting, just negotiating prices for food and stuff like that. Tsunade-Shishou just wanted me there to learn how to negotiate. I'm sorry my shishou was so angry earlier, the Daimyo made a request for her to go in person, so she's not very happy right now." Sakura scrunched her nose and shook her head in exasperation. "I hope she doesn't send me on those too often, I don't think I'd be very good at them."

He chuckled as they took their seats, and she looked over to him. He looked over at her kindly "I think you'll be very good at anything you set your mind to, Sakura. I do not think you should speak so lowly of yourself."

She smiled happily, and looked over the menus provided by the restaurant. This was why she liked Uncle so much. No one had ever been so encouraging to her in her life. Kakashi was completely inattentive at best, Tsunade was decidedly a fan of negative reinforcement, and most of her teammates and peers had always treated her more like a liability than anything else. The closest thing to encouragement she'd gotten since deciding to become a ninja had been praise from her instructors on her academic scores in the academy, but even they didn't seem to think she'd make much of herself.

But Uncle saw something in her that no one else did, and he never seemed to lie to her. Sakura had finally gotten good at knowing when someone was lying, which had really made her life in Konoha much less pleasant. The only other person who didn't lie to her most of the time was Naruto, and he had left with that pervert friend of Tsunade's.

Honestly, she was tempted to drag Uncle back to Konoha and appoint him her personal cheerleader.

Alas, dragging an older man about town would probably bring about some rather unpleasant gossip, not to mention that Uncle probably had no interest in following around a little girl just because she had no friends.

She scrunched her nose again and finally decided on her order, realizing that both Uncle and the server had been waiting on her for some time while she was thinking to herself. Once the server had both of their orders and went back to relate them to the chef, she turned back to Uncle.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked nosily, knowing that if he didn't want to answer he'd just change the topic of conversation.

"Ah, I am just very interested in seeing new places" Uncle smiled kindly, as he shifted to a more comfortable position facing her. "You see, I haven't really been to many countries, and I felt that now in my retirement is a good time to see the rest of the world. Though I'm sure you've seen many places yourself, as you are a shinobi, yes? You'll have to forgive me, I have not met many ninja before."

"No, you wouldn't have" she mused, tracing her finger along the rim of her glass of water the server had placed before her. "The Land of Iron doesn't have shinobi, they only have samurai."

Uncle nodded serenely, and Sakura took that as permission to continue. "So what did you do before you retired?" she pried, and immediately regretted it as Uncle blanched and flinched a bit, putting more distance between them.

"Oh, Kami, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you" Sakura hastily supplied, putting her hands up and waving them in a defensive manner. "I was just curious, I won't ask again, I promise."

"It's all right" Uncle said slowly, with his eyes off in the distance. "I… just do not like to talk about it. Suffice to say that it was unpleasant, and not a business I would ever like to return to."

There was an awkward silence then, and Sakura panicked quietly, terrified that she'd already managed to isolate one of the very few people she liked.

Then Uncle gathered himself a bit, shook his head quietly, and looked up at her with a gentle smile on his face. "Enough of that" he said warmly, using an open gesture with his arms, which put Sakura instantly back at ease, "let us talk of other things. Did you know that they have rare white jasmine tea leaves here?"

After a satisfying and illuminating talk at the ramen stand, they meandered through the rest of the market, providing commentary on all the odd and beautiful things to be found there. She didn't think she'd ever met anybody so fascinated by tea before, but bought a few different kinds of leaves to try at home at his recommendation.

More interesting was when they found a weapons shop, and she'd excitedly drug him inside, showing him senbon, kunai, and shuriken. She explained the technical uses for each, and he'd quietly listened and demonstrated a real interest in her lessons. He then showed her to the rack of swords, and explained in great detail the benefits and drawbacks to each kind found there, the differences in metal quality, and other things Sakura couldn't remember ever being taught in the Academy.

Uncle had asked if he would be able to remove and examine one of the finer blades and the shop had hesitantly acquiesced, no doubt worrying that the older man would accidently impale himself. But when Uncle removed it, Sakura was startled to see that he obviously had significant experience wielding a sword. He demonstrated a few moves for her, and put the sword into her hands gently and guided her through them, gracefully and skillfully maneuvering the blade even in someone else's hands.

Sakura followed through with one of the moves on her own, and was amazed at how the blade cut through the air, and the intuitive way it fit in her hands and felt like an extension of her arms. Why hadn't anyone ever told her that this was an option? She knew that Anbu used swords, but they had seemed blockier than what Iroh had put in her hands. "Wow," she breathed out, trying to capture this moment in time and the feeling it brought for forever. "I didn't know swords didn't have to be big blocky things" she explained to Uncle, who appeared to be absolutely mystified by this admission.

"My dear, who ever gave you such an impression? What a disservice to a fine weapon." Uncle moved his mouth in an obvious expression of distaste, before prying the sword gently from her hands and examining the blade closely.

"You know how to use them, don't you?" It wasn't really a question, but she didn't really acquire an answer. Uncle nodded absentmindedly, as he ran his hand delicately up the side of the blade, evidently checking for defects.

"Could you… maybe teach me a little?" Sakura chewed her bottom lip nervously as Uncle turned an appraising gaze on her.

He nodded slowly, and placed the blade on the counter in front of the clerk, who rung up the sale and Sakura stared blankly at the back of his head as he paid for the sword she was so beginning to covet. She hardly noticed as he also purchased a strap for the hilt to go on, and she followed Uncle out of the store in a daze.

"Where would you like to practice, Sakura?" he asked placidly, and she had to consider that for a moment. They certainly couldn't wave a sword around civilians, but she knew Tsunade would kill her if she left town to train, especially with a man she'd only met once before. Not that Tsunade knew that, of course. She probably thought that Uncle was a real relative, it wouldn't be surprising as the Haruno were a merchant clan, travelling all over the nations.

"Maybe the hotel room?" she suggested weakly, and Uncle's eyebrows rose skeptically. "It's the ambassador suite and it has a lot of space, and my shishou should be out for most of the day" and the night. And maybe tomorrow, and the day after that. Shishou would probably drink every bar in the area dry in her three days of freedom, but at least that would give Sakura time to practice and relax.

Uncle nodded, and bowed his head slightly. Sakura blushed, no one had ever bowed to her before in her life. "I'll follow your lead" he reassured her.

Sakura marched toward the hotel room with her best friend in tow (and wasn't that sad, her best friend was an older man she'd only met twice now), and unlocked the room with her key. Her determination had grown with every step towards the suite, as she had finally convinced herself that learning a new skill would only help her.

Ninjas had a really terrible last line of defense, she had to admit. For far range, they had a multitude of options, from actual weapons like shuriken to jutsu. But if an opponent closed the gap, they had taijutsu to defend themselves, and fists were hardly a match for sharpened steel. Sure, you could defend yourself with a kunai up close, but it was a losing battle if you didn't end it quickly. Why more ninja didn't use something like a sword, Sakura couldn't say. _'Except for their idiotic superiority complexes! Chyyaa_!' Inner Sakura helpfully supplied.

"Well, this is it" she said quietly as she opened the door and turned back to look at Uncle. He viewed the room thoughtfully, and turned back to her.

"It should suffice" he said warmly, "we just need enough room for you to not hit anything or anyone."

She grinned and nodded her head, and went to shove the couch to the side of the room. If Tsunade-Shishou even noticed, Sakura could just tell her that she'd needed room to practice her katas.

Uncle moved to the center of the room behind her, and spent a good amount of time showing her how to properly sheath and unsheathe the sword, and how to attach it to the strap that would fit it on her hips. She was pleased to note that the sword was short enough to not limit her movement, and hung secure and tight on her waist.

He also provided her with tips on how to clean and maintain the sword, and gave her a recommendation on how often to sharpen it. After he had finished providing her with basic maintenance instructions, he showed her how to hold it properly and securely in her hands, so that the blade would not slip and so she would not harm herself. Once she could unsheathe her sword and naturally set her hands and body in the correct position, Uncle guided her through a set of katas. He had her repeat the katas on her own while he inspected and slowly corrected any mistakes, and once he was satisfied, he sat down on the couch with a smile.

"You have a natural talent for the blade" he stated pleasantly, patting the cushion next to him and indicating that she take a seat. Sakura sheathed her sword carefully and trotted across the room happily, flouncing down on the cushion.

"You should practice that set of katas over and over again, until they are second nature to you" Uncle gazed at her fondly. Sakura felt warm all over that he would give her so much attention, and nodded attentively. She was sure that she was sweaty and gross, but she felt so pleased with herself. '_And soon, we'll be the best swordswoman of all time, and Sasuke-kun and everyone else will have to acknowledge us, too! Chyaa!_' Inner Sakura fist pumped.

"Will you teach me more then?" Sakura felt like she was tempting fate, but she'd rather not let Uncle wander away again and not be able to find him.

He exhaled and looked down at his hands, obviously thinking. She started chewing her bottom lip again, and she found her hands clasping each other tightly. Her knuckles were starting to turn a bit white, and she instantly started to chastise herself. Of course, Uncle didn't have time for her. He was an adult and he had other things to do, commitments to keep. She shrunk back into the couch as her stomach threatened to collapse in on itself.

"I will not be able to come to Konoha right away" Uncle said finally, as he turned back to her. When he noted how small she looked, he stretched out his arm and touched her shoulder lightly. "Do not think it is a reflection of you that I will be not able to visit you for some time. You have shown an obvious talent, and I would like to see that it is properly cultivated. But I am currently teaching my nephew, and so for now I will not be able to help you. But if you would like, in a year or so I would like to visit you in Konoha and continue your training."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing, and her spine shot straight up like she'd been hit by a stray lightning bolt. "Yes, oh yes, yes, I would love it if you would come and visit me. I can wait a year" she promised eagerly, and brought her clasped hands up in front of her face, pleading with all of her heart and soul that Uncle would keep his word.

He laughed, and put a worn warm hand over her own. "A year it is, then" he assured her.

"Will you write me?" Sakura couldn't believe her luck.

"Of course" Uncle said, then brought a hand to his chin and tugged on his beard lightly. "Should I just send them to Haruno Sakura in Konoha, or will I need an address?"

"Just a minute!" Sakura ran quickly to her appointed room, and came back with a few pieces of paper and a pen. "I'll write down my address and station for you, so that it gets to me" she clarified, as she scrawled out the information on the paper. "There aren't many Haruno in Konoha, but it won't hurt for the letter to have more information."

She looked up suddenly, and eyed Uncle solemnly. "Where can I send your mail?"

Uncle frowned and tugged his beard again thoughtfully. "I have a home in the Land of Iron, but I fear I will not be there for quite some time. Though if you would like, you may still send mail there and I will read it upon my return."

Sakura nodded, and handed him a piece of paper and the pen. He quickly wrote out his information, and exchanged the pieces of paper with her. She examined his address quickly, folded the paper, and placed it in her pocket. His handwriting was strangely elegant for a warrior, but then, what about Uncle was normal?

She turned back to grin at him, and watched him carefully place her address in his own pocket. "I should leave now" Uncle apologized, rising gracefully from the couch and making his way to the door. "We don't want your teacher to be angry with me, and I really must get back to my nephew. Doubtless, he is very testy by now."

She nodded sadly, and rose to show him out. "Can I meet your nephew sometime?" She wanted to see this ever-elusive nephew. He was so lucky to have all of Uncle's attention, she hoped that he knew it.

Uncle chuckled again, and turned back to see her from outside the door. "I am quite sure that you will meet him, dear Sakura. In fact, I think it is quite unavoidable that you do so. But perhaps not today."

She smiled contentedly, and watched him walk out of the hotel. She hoped the year went quickly, but she would probably start writing letters to Uncle right away anyway. No one else ever listened to her about the many injustices Ino-pig inflected on her.

* * *

Iroh returned to find Sasuke fidgeting in exactly the place he had left him hours prior. "I know I asked you not to leave, but I do not remember telling you to not move" he said amusedly, as he put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke leaned back into him again, and stared up at him with empty eyes. He had obviously had no success with his meditations again today.

Iroh handed Sasuke his dinner, which he devoured voraciously, and watched his student closely.

It was such a pity that Sasuke had shown no innate ability. The boy was so open to learning, and wanted it more than anyone Iroh had ever met.

He supposed there was nothing for it, he would have to take more drastic measures. Sasuke was obviously becoming frustrated. He had caught the boy spending longer moments thinking to himself in the dark, and ticking off things on his fingers. If he didn't make some progress soon, Sasuke would likely leave.

And if he left, Sasuke would likely either be killed or find apprenticeship with someone of Orochimaru's ilk again. Iroh couldn't abide that.

"Sasuke" he stated calmly, and Sasuke looked up at him expectantly "I have somewhere I would like to take you."

Sasuke swallowed his food with a distasteful look on his face. "Somewhere else? It feels like we've already been all over, and I've made no progress at firebending at all."

If that was the first thing Sasuke was thinking of, Iroh had been right. "It's somewhere where you can learn firebending, if you are true enough." Iroh said gently, carefully watching Sasuke for any reaction.

"Why would this place be any different than you teaching me?" Sasuke asked quietly, staring directly into his empty bowl, and Iroh handed him another.

"It is a place where anyone can learn firebending, if they are found worthy enough" Iroh supplied, noting the determination spreading across Sasuke's face. It was amazing, really, how his whole posture changed. He'd been almost collapsed in on himself when Iroh had arrived, obviously exhausted and frustrated with himself. Suddenly, his spine was straighter, and there was a slight gleam in his eyes where there had previously only been a blank darkness.

"Well, I just have to be worthy, then" Sasuke quipped darkly, as he set into his second bowl of food.

* * *

Writing this is very fun, but I would really love feedback. Love it? Please tell me in excruciating detail. Also feel free to mention how beautiful I am and how soft my hair is. Like it but think it needs work? Please tell me where and how, so that your next review will be cheerier. Hate it? Why are you reading the fifth chapter, just go away.


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuke had only ever been on two boats before, one on the way to help that irritating bridgebuilder, and the other when they were going to the Land of Snow. He had to admit, he didn't really care for the experience. At least he could walk on water now, but since he had no idea where they were going, it seemed like a terrible idea to leave the ship.

Sifu had commissioned the boat after a quick stop to Mifune-san, and was doing all the navigation personally. Even the crew didn't know where they were going, which was a constant source of worry for all of them. Sifu wasn't concerned, though. He obviously knew exactly where they were headed, and had been in command on a boat before.

Just who the hell was Sifu, anyway?

Sasuke grumbled low curses to himself as the boat rocked against the waves on the ocean. It certainly wasn't helping his appetite, he'd barely been able to get anything down since they boarded the stupid heap of metal. Sifu practically had to force-feed him soup every night, or Sasuke wouldn't have eaten at all.

They'd already been on the boat for a few months, and still Sasuke hadn't seen any indication that they were nearing their destination. He hoped it would end soon, or he'd probably try to jump ship and take his chances with the sharks.

He heard someone coming down on the deck near him, and slowly turned his head, trying not to aggravate his nausea.

"Sifu" he greeted weakly, clinging onto the railing with white knuckles. Maybe if he held on hard enough, he'd stop wanting to hurl into the water.

Sifu looked over him calmly, and held out his hand. "Let's get you inside" he gestured back to the cabin they had been sharing "you're likely to get even more ill staying out in the cold like this."

Sasuke refused the hand his sensei offered him, and stumbled towards the cabin. He lost his footing a bit, and Sifu caught him. He wanted to protest, but honestly he was far too cold, tired, and hungry to make the effort. Sifu carefully helped him into the cabin and onto his bed, where Sasuke indicated that he needed a bucket again.

Sifu retrieved the bucket from the corner of the room and Sasuke released what little contents were in his stomach for what felt like the millionth time on this trip. When he finally felt like nothing else would come up, he dropped the bucket onto the floor and rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow.

"We'll be at our destination in a few hours" Sifu said kindly, placing his warm hand on Sasuke's back, and he wriggled a bit under it. It felt nice, the ship and ocean were so, so cold.

After a long moment, he processed Sifu's statement, and maneuvered his head out to eye him suspiciously. "Really, we're almost there?" He couldn't believe it. He was almost sure he was going to die here on this boat, cold, hungry, and angry.

"Mmmmhmmmm" Sifu hummed in the affirmative, and Sasuke completely relaxed his muscles, taking in the warmth and comfort of his bed. Just a few more hours, and he'd be on land again. Of course, there was a return trip involved, but hopefully by then he'd at least have firebending and a decent indication of how long the hellish trip would last.

He closed his eyes and dreamed of warm ground beneath his feet.

* * *

Iroh looked over at his visibly relieved student and smiled. Sasuke obviously was not meant for sailing, but after they left here it seemed unlikely he would have to be on a boat again.

Sasuke was reclining on the ground, leaned up against a tree. He was sifting sand lazily through his fingers in his right hand, and his left hand held a mug of soup he'd been drinking. It would probably be best to spend a day or two here on the beach, letting Sasuke regain his strength before making their way inland. The crew was busily setting up camp on the beach, and were obeying his instructions to remain only on the beach. Luckily, Mifune-san had recommended a very professional crew who seemed to have no intentions of disobeying any of his orders.

He let Sasuke recover on the beach for a few days, checking up on him intermittently. Sasuke seemed content to lie on the beach under the sun, only returning to the ship when no one else was available to bring him food.

After the third day, he directed Sasuke to change his clothes and gather his equipment, and they set off towards the ruins. Sasuke was quiet and contemplative for the journey, stopping only occasionally to look at intricate carvings. Iroh saw him making tracings of the carvings occasionally, which was new. Sasuke had never demonstrated interest in earlier civilizations or cultures before, but then again Iroh had never taken him to any ruins before. He hadn't even noted any in his travels through the Lands of Iron, Tea, or Sound. Perhaps the continent had been unpopulated until relatively recently, but Iroh couldn't be sure.

He waited patiently for Sasuke to retrieve another rubbing, and tuck it into his pack. "Ready to continue?" Sasuke looked up at him and nodded, situating the pack on his back.

It took a few days to reach the occupied part of the city, and Iroh was almost surprised at how friendly the Sun Warriors could be. He had forgotten the inherent warmth they gave, being so connected to the life-giving powers of fire.

"You have been here before, Dragon of the West" a Sun Warrior noted as they examined himself and Sasuke. "Did you tell anyone of this place?"

Iroh shook his head, and put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "No, I navigated the ship myself, and provided the location to no one. My student here was not informed of where we were coming or what we would find here."

The Sun Warrior nodded, and admitted them to the ziggurat.

Iroh turned to Sasuke, and put his hands on both shoulders. "I do not know if they will allow me to come with you, but believe me when I tell you that you are worthy of any task they may set before you, and will come out victorious."

Sasuke straightened, and looked Iroh directly in the eye. "I will not fail you, Sensei."

The Sun Warriors did not, in fact, admit Iroh to come in with his student. They directed him to wait while Sasuke went through the trials alone. Iroh tried to take solace in the fact that Sasuke had practiced the Dancing Dragon form to perfection, but he couldn't help but worry.

On the other hand, Sasuke was bound to do anything he was set on. Iroh smiled as he reassured himself, and leaned back to gaze thankfully at the top of the mountain where he knew Shaw and Ran would be waiting for his determined student.

* * *

Sasuke was thus far unimpressed. The Sun Warriors had presented him a flame from the "first fire" which was pretty interesting, and then essentially told him to work out his glutes by climbing up a ridiculous flight of stairs. He climbed the stairs carefully, making sure that his flame did not waver. It was a long and painful process. If he hadn't had a flame, he would have run up the stairs at his usual speed and been there an hour ago.

He grumbled to himself, but held the flame close to him to keep the wind from snuffing it. Sifu wouldn't have brought him here and made him suffer through a long trip on a boat for a jaunt up a mountain, and he would not disgrace his sensei.

The Sun Warriors had called Sifu the "Dragon of the West", and Sasuke was very eager to ask his sensei about that particular nickname. Sifu had said that he was well known in his home country, was this it? He spared a quick glance back at the ruined city behind him, and dismissed the idea. Sifu didn't grow up here, he was from somewhere less tribal. He couldn't imagine Sifu in one of those loincloths.

Then he did, and started to choke a bit on his laughter. No, Sifu had obviously been here before, but he wasn't from here. But he had thought of this place with a great deal of respect, and so Sasuke would too.

When he finally reached the top, he saw two caves. No one had told him about this part. He stood at the top, puzzling as to which path to take. Then he finally saw what he thought must be lights coming from both of the caves, but as the lights grew closer he considered holding his fingers out and screaming "Kai" at the top of his lungs. He activated his Sharingan, but what he was seeing evidently was entirely too real.

"Dragons." His mouth moved without his knowledge. "Sifu sent me to find dragons."

Two dragons, specifically. One red and one blue, flying through the sky. When they noted him, they flew towards him and began to make what he could only define as a dance.

_'Oh. Duh.'_ He thought, irritated with himself for not realizing that Iroh had already taught him the move that he needed for this particular situation.

He quickly aligned himself with the dragons, and began going through the last kata that Sifu had taught him, unimaginatively titled "Dancing Dragon". When he reached the end of the kata, he noted to his ultimate horror that the dragons flew closer to him and opened their mouths.

He didn't particularly want his last words to be, "Oh, shit", but there it was. Fire streamed from their mouths, but it was unlike any other fire Sasuke had ever seen. It was a symphony of color, warm and light and loving on his face. He was surprised to find that dying evidently wasn't nearly as bad as he'd imagined, when he realized he wasn't dying at all.

The dragons stopped their torrents of flame and flew back into the caves, even as Sasuke reached out his arm to them.

The heat on his face was gone, but he still felt a crackling warmth in his chest. Sasuke cautiously put his hands on his torso, but there was no fire on him. He appeared to be totally fine, to his surprise.

So what had changed?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was time to see if this had been a colossal waste of time, or not. He didn't want to go down and disappoint Sifu by not succeeding, after he'd gone through all this trouble for him.

He pushed out, and went to the first move of the Dancing Dragon again. Instantly, the warmth from his chest shot out and covered his arms and hands. He went to the second position, and was gratified to feel that the warmth then extended to his legs.

He opened his eyes as he went to the third position, and was almost terrified. Flames were licking up and down all the surfaces of his body. He punched with his right arm, and flames shot out five feet in front of him.

If Sasuke were the baka, he'd be shouting and jumping and throwing flames in front of anyone stupid enough to get within a mile of him. But he wasn't. He was Sasuke Uchiha, the last of his clan, an avenger.

He fell down on his knees and cried instead. He finally had a chance at killing Itachi. As he wept, the flames receded from his arms and legs, curling up into his chest in a comfortable ball.

Sasuke cried until he couldn't cry anymore, and then shakily stood again. If he had to show weakness, at least it was on a deserted mountaintop. If anyone had seen him at all, it was two reclusive dragons, and he knew they would share his pain if they even cared at all. Sifu had told him how the Fire Nation had hunted and killed all of the dragons they could find, for what appeared to be no reason at all.

These two were likely the last of their kind. They were more Sasuke's kin than almost anyone he'd ever met. And they had shared their knowledge and gift with him, whether it was because they sympathized with his cause or because they acknowledged his worth, he didn't care. Either option was more than he could have ever asked for.

He squared his shoulders and turned back to the stairs. This time, he didn't have to go slowly, he had another dragon he didn't want to keep waiting.

* * *

When Iroh looked up to see his normally disgruntled student beaming at him, he thought he may have been dreaming. That wasn't a look that normally occupied Sasuke's face, and even when it did, he did his level best to hide it from sight.

"I did it, Sensei."

That answered that, then. Iroh finally let all of the tension fall out of his shoulders, and wrapped Sasuke in a spine-crushing hug. "I'm so very proud of you, Sasuke" he choked out, and felt Sasuke's arms hesitantly wrap around his back, too.

"I feel like I should ask these people if they know they're living under a couple of dragons" Sasuke whispered, and Iroh couldn't help but laugh, pulling away and wiping a stray tear from his eye.

Sasuke couldn't be that clueless, could he? He looked up to see Sasuke still smiling back at him, and he entirely lost it. Sasuke, his angry, angsty, emotionally constipated and fun-hating student had made a joke.

Iroh immediately resolved to write this in his journal to celebrate the occurrence's anniversary.

* * *

Iroh ended the day's lessons with a smile, and beckoned Sasuke closer.

"You did very well today. I am glad to see that the soreness on your shoulder is gone."

Sasuke just looked confused. "Shoulder soreness?"

"You were always rubbing at that spot behind your neck" Iroh demonstrated for him, and he could see comprehension dawn on Sasuke's face. "I thought maybe the dragons used some healing fire on you, or maybe you were less stressed."

"Maybe…" Sasuke grumbled, turning his back towards Iroh and beckoning with his arm. "Shishou, would you check the back of my neck and see if something is there?"

Iroh felt like he was missing something major, but acquiesced. He pushed Sasuke's collar down a bit, and examined between his student's shoulders. Iroh didn't know what Sasuke was expecting, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that Iroh could see. "No, there's nothing there that I can see" Iroh said placidly, letting the collar straighten back into its normal position. "You were expecting something to be there?"

Sasuke shifted and pulled away, nervously brushing his fingers against the spot in question. He took a few steps, and turned back around to face Iroh.

Iroh was growing rather concerned. What would worry Sasuke like this? Unfortunately, asking the boy would be self-defeatist in nature. Sasuke didn't take prying well, and would very easily shut himself off completely. He would open up eventually, but Iroh had to force his questions down into his stomach, that coiled in on itself and hardened like a rock. He still didn't like seeing Sasuke this upset.

"Orochimaru…" Sasuke mumbled evasively, and Iroh tried not to seem too eager for him to finish his sentence. He carefully maintained a blank face, and hoped against hope that this once, Sasuke would be a bit forthcoming "He put a seal on me. He said it would give me power, and it did, but it felt like poison and it made me so angry…"

"Ah" after reading the information Mifune-san had obtained from his corpse (and Iroh really didn't want to think too much about that), Iroh wasn't even slightly surprised that the monster had experimented upon Sasuke. Come to think of it, the report had mentioned something about strange seals covering Orochimaru's body.

Iroh nodded slowly, and noted that Sasuke was pointedly staring at the ground. "When was the last time you used it?" Iroh asked delicately, taking care to seem as non-threatening as possible.

"Almost a year ago, now" Sasuke said shortly, "Orochimaru liked to see me use it, but I'd only been with him a month before…" _'before you electrocuted him so badly his ancestors could feel it',_ went unsaid.

Iroh hummed again, signaling to Sasuke that he was deep in thought. Sasuke shifted a bit from foot to foot, obviously worried that Iroh was going to be upset with him. But Iroh wasn't angry. Sasuke hadn't used it in all the time he'd been teaching him, and he seemed to know what it did. Maybe the dragons burnt the poisonous mark out, or the inner fire he'd been given rejected the seal. It was likely they'd never know how it happened, but Iroh was glad it was gone.

"Well" he said lightly, turning to the ship with his nice, warm bed in it, "if the dragons burnt it off you, they must have known how much it pained you. Do you think you need its power anymore?"

He waited for a response, and to his immense relief he received one. "No, Shishou Sifu, I do not. I do not need the gifts of poisonous snakes to reach my goals."

Not exactly the answer Iroh had been hoping for, but he didn't expect Sasuke to entirely open up about his feelings ever. The boy wasn't exactly a wordsmith on the best of days, in any case.

But the sentiment was good, and that's what counted.

"Come, Sasuke" Iroh calmly began walking back in the direction of their ship, "we have much training to do tomorrow. And we leave for the Land of Iron again in two days' time, it would be best if we did not waste the time we have."

There was no reply, but he distinctly heard light-footed steps following his own.

* * *

Sasuke didn't know how to describe it, but he felt… lighter, maybe? Than when he had gone up those stairs with the first fire. Colors seemed a bit brighter, and he didn't feel quite so cold and isolated all the time. Was this how he had felt before the curse seal?

No, probably not. He felt better than before the curse seal. Then, he'd been a weak, lonely boy with no family, with constant nightmares and a paralyzing fear of getting close to anyone. He didn't particularly care for his teammates at first, but the more time they had spent together, the closer he had found himself. And if he grew close to them, they were a liability. Itachi could easily come and find and kill anyone he grew attached to, he had already demonstrated that he would when he came and put Kakashi Sensei in a coma, and tried to capture Naruto.

Sasuke had understood how fixated Itachi was on his isolation even before he'd placed him under that genjutsu. The nightmares after that were even worse, Itachi had shown Sasuke how he'd slaughtered everyone else in their clan, not just their parents. Sasuke had ended up counting the number of people, and wasn't surprised that every single clan member had been accounted for. He'd obsessed over their names and faces, terrified that he'd forget any one of them.

Now, the nightmares weren't completely gone, but they weren't as vivid and didn't occur as often. In fact, if he got enough sun, he slept the whole night through uninterrupted, even on this kami-forsaken boat. He was still afraid that Itachi would find and hurt Sifu, but his shishou could take care of himself.

And Sasuke didn't intend to let Itachi get that close this time.

But strangely, Sasuke found his thoughts drifting more and more to happier times, when his otouto had been so kind to him. He couldn't quite reconcile the brother he'd worshipped with this cold mass murderer, no matter how hard he tried. Before he'd just written it off as inconvenient, and concentrated on getting revenge for his clan.

Now that wasn't so easy. Sifu encouraged him to think and meditate, which forced him to confront these conflicting thoughts and feelings. Life had been much simpler when Sasuke could just relegate his brother to the role of "emotionless monster", but this was much more complicated.

Sasuke was still sure that Itachi needed to be dealt with, but he couldn't quite bear to hate him anymore. Hating his brother quickly turned into hating himself for remembering loving him, and Sifu had advised that kind of thinking led only to despair and madness.

So maybe he didn't have the mentality needed to hunt down Itachi and kill him in cold blood. But that didn't mean Sasuke couldn't protect the things and people he might care about. He would still need to be strong for that, and it would feel less like he was cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Sasuke stretched out on the deck of the ship, feeling the sunlight embrace the skin on his face, and the warm wooden deck on his back. He could see the heat of the sun, even through his closed eyelids. It was amazing how different the trip back to the Land of Iron was from the trip to the Sun Temple. No seasickness, no dizziness. Just spending his days training, or sprawled out in the sunlight (and sometimes training by napping in sunlight). It was even more pleasant than before, and Sasuke could feel his inner fire replenishing from the exposure. If this was what Iroh had always felt when he napped outside, Sasuke almost couldn't blame him for wanting to spend so much time doing it.

Incidentally, he finally had something in common with the Uchiha nin-cats, though Sasuke thought that had rather more to do with general feline laziness than any affinity with fire.

He could probably find out, but that contract was probably lost, or buried in a vault on the Uchiha property somewhere. In Fire Country. In Konoha.

It seemed unlikely that he'd ever be able to go back there now. Even though he wasn't with Orochimaru now, he'd certainly left with him, and that's all the new Hokage was likely to see. He probably had a bounty on his head by now, and he figured the only people who'd care to see him were the baka, Sakura, and that Yamanaka girl, maybe. None of which had any say as to whether he lived just long enough to ensure the Uchiha bloodline and was sent to die in T&I.

Even though the deck was bright and warm, Sasuke felt himself shudder involuntarily at that idea. Ibiki had been a terror during the Chuunin exams, and he couldn't imagine he was any more pleasant at his day job.

No, he'd live out his days happily anywhere that wasn't Konoha, thank you.

Besides, Sifu was only of the only people Sasuke didn't find incredibly annoying. No sense in making him live alone in the desolate wasteland that was the Land of Iron.

"Land ahead!" he heard someone calling out above him, and Sasuke smiled to himself. Finally, after an eight month long trip, he'd be back in the Land of Iron with real food again. He could even stomach ramen with Naruto, now.

On second thought, no. No he couldn't.


	7. Chapter 7

Sasuke and Iroh took a long look at the small pile of letters that Sasuke had retrieved from the mailbox. "These are all for you?" Sasuke half-stated, poking the pile with his pointer fingers as one slid down the pile and threatened to fall onto the floor. Iroh caught it between his fingers and smiled.

"Well, I didn't think Sakura would send me this many letters" he mused, delighting in Sasuke's obvious expression of shock.

"You gave Sakura our address?" Sasuke gaped, putting a careful distance between himself and the formidable pile of papers on their table.

Iroh chided him with a look, and opened the one in his hand. "She doesn't know who you are, Sasuke. I told her I am training my nephew, she did include a letter for under that alias, however. Would you like to read it?" Iroh waved it haphazardly in his hand, and was unsurprised to feel it disappear from his grip.

He read through the letters carefully, and noted that no one appeared to edit Sakura's letters. Some of the things Sakura was writing him were sensitive information. Nothing seemed concerning, though, and there was nothing she wrote of that would concern Mifune-san in particular. All the same, he took a few notes on things Mifune-san might find interesting to give him later. He was supposed to be an informant of sorts, after all.

After delving through all of Sakura's letters and setting some aside for Sasuke to peruse, Iroh rolled his neck and went to make some tea. He hadn't been able to send her any letters (unsurprisingly, the Sun Warriors weren't a communicative lot), but he had been writing on a long letter explaining his long absence.

After his tea, he would finish and send it. She certainly merited a well-thought reply, and now he'd have to add a caution to it. She really shouldn't be mailing out such private information, and it was just a further sign of carelessness in her education and development that no one had seen fit to inform her.

Iroh wasn't sure that he would care for this Konoha. Thus far, he wasn't very impressed. Sasuke's family was murdered in the middle of the night by his own brother, and they had neither apprehended Itachi nor given Sasuke the obvious attention he had needed. They'd let a thirteen year old run away on his own with a mass murderer, and hadn't even come looking for him, to Iroh's knowledge. Sasuke was ill-equipped to deal with other people, and had been dangerously close to severe mental dehabilitation.

Sakura, for being in a position of such power and esteem, was almost neglected. She had no real guidance and an almost pathological need for attention. She had no confidence in her abilities or her potential, and no one seemed to care.

It was despicable to waste and destroy such talented young people.

If he saw this Tsunade of the Sannin again, he was going to have some choice words with her about throwing children at her problems.

* * *

Sakura tore through the streets of Konoha, eager to escape the drudgery of Tsunade's office. She needed to get in time with her sword before eating and working the late shift at the hospital. Tsunade had a ridiculous amount of demands for Sakura to fulfill, including hours at the hospital, intense training schedules, and immense amounts of paperwork.

Sakura was almost glad she didn't really have any friends, because she wouldn't be able to see them anyway. She'd just finally gotten useful enough to be able to help healing moderate injuries, which meant now she was in the Emergency Room instead of assisting other medic-nins as a nurse. Sakura was so grateful for not having to be a nurse that she might actually bother to be on time for her hospital shift tonight. She was never, ever going to give someone a sponge bath.

_'Dirty old men, if one of them ever asks us that again, we'll beat them with a stick! Chyaa!'_ Inner Sakura sounded off, and Sakura only vaguely wondered where she was going to find said stick in a hospital room.

Luckily, the streets were starting to clear up at that time of night, so Sakura didn't have to use the rooftops. (ANBU was seriously upset if you were jumping around up there for no reason, something about needing to keep them well-observed). She ducked into her empty apartment, grabbed her sword, and ran to Team Seven's empty practice field.

She ran through all the katas quickly and fluidly, enjoying how the katana seemed to glide through the air, almost unhindered by gravity. After spending a morning training on how to beat any and all of the things to death with naught but her fists, working with her sword felt freeing, and much more sophisticated.

Not like she would ever tell her shishou that, Sakura rather liked living.

It had been almost nine months since she had seen Uncle, and she'd worked the katas he'd given her to perfection. Since she didn't have anything else to do with it yet, she'd just decided to continue working on them, anyway. She found herself easily tearing through them over and over again, while she thought about other things. Sakura was actually very proud of this, as Uncle had told her that they needed to be so ingrained that they weren't second nature, but first, the very instant she unsheathed her katana.

She was getting there, she could feel it. And there were only three months until Uncle would get here and teach her some more_. 'And we will blind our enemies with our beauty AND skills! Chyaa!'_ Inner Sakura cheered her on, while Sakura improvised some quick jabs at the unsuspecting air.

* * *

Kakashi looked on with interest from his perch in a far-off tree, unbeknownst to his student. He'd put his Icha Icha book away, and started committing the movements she was making with her katana to memory. She'd certainly improved since the last time he'd watched a few months ago, and even from his vantage point he could see that she'd begun to run the movements with her eyes closed and never lost her footing.

He'd been at the Memorial Stone, as was his custom, when he gazed out over their deserted training ground and noted that there was movement there. That in itself was odd, as Naruto had left the village a few months prior with Jiraiya, Sasuke was… well, long gone, and Sakura was being trained by Tsunade. So the only one in the village was Sakura, and she hadn't shown any initiative in training when he'd been teaching her, so he'd decided to get closer for a look.

He'd almost died of shock when he saw Sakura alone, doing movements he'd never seen before with a katana (and where in the hell had she gotten that?). He'd been proud, and confused, but mostly intrigued. This was definitely something she hadn't learned from Tsunade. Or anyone he knew, for that matter.

Swords were traditionally considered the samurai's weapon. Shinobi favored much shorter blades. Ninja didn't use swords very often, though he'd often lamented that as a stupid idea. Even then, they hacked at things, or used them in tandem with their jutsu. Mostly they were there to look intimidating, as most ANBU didn't even really use the damn things.

But if they'd been trained like that… well, that had made him look at the short sword in his ANBU gear a little more respectfully.

He couldn't ask Sakura what she was doing without alerting her to his presence, so he just came back and watched from time to time. And if he happened to mentally sketch out the katas so that he could learn them, that was just a bonus.

To think that shy, nervous Sakura had been the one to take up a blade, obviously unbeknownst to everyone in the village. It certainly made him reconsider how he'd mostly discounted her when training his team.

At least, everyone in the next Chuunin exams was going to be incredibly outclassed. He rather started to pity the poor Genin that got in her way.

Maybe Naruto wasn't the most surprising ninja after all.

* * *

The last two and a half months of training with Sasuke had actually started to become relaxing for Iroh.

Sasuke had only given him about a day of reprieve after arriving back at their residence before excitedly demanding that Iroh start training him again in seriousness. He'd disregarded all pleas of "Oh, but think of your old and weary shishou, about to collapse from exhaustion" with a patiently disbelieving look that saw right through Iroh and his fraudulent claims, before walking outside and waiting outside the door for Iroh to follow him.

After that, things had gone much more smoothly. Sasuke was meditating with good results, and was quickly mastering the basics of firebending with more grace than Iroh had thought imaginable. Sasuke had been so surprised to find that all the katas Iroh had had him learning before made much more sense now, and flowed gracefully from one position to the next.

Sasuke's problem, of course, was not his Inner Fire, but any fire outside of him. If it felt foreign, he fumbled and rejected it, occasionally burning himself in the process. Sasuke evidently found it difficult to take anything that was not his into himself, and that was where his problems lie.

Rather an apt metaphor for his entire life approach, no doubt.

Iroh knew that there were benefits to mastering Inner Fire, and Sasuke had the control and drive to see it through. However, in a world of unfriendly fire users, the inability to control outside fire would kill Sasuke just as easily as if he'd never learned firebending in the first place.

Luckily, Sasuke seemed to understand that, and had started to do candle meditations again. Iroh had him start on a flame meditation, where he carried a flame from an outside source around in his hand and focused on it entirely. If he could keep the flame lit, and not let it burn out of control, the meditation was considered a success.

Sasuke was finding it difficult, but what he lacked in natural talent he more than made up for with effort. He'd begun using outside flame as his only source of light, taking long walks outside in deserted places. Iroh couldn't even imagine a more devoted student.

But it was time for him to go to Konoha.

Sasuke had argued, complained, and pleaded with Iroh to stay in the Land of Iron, but Iroh just reminded him that he had made a promise. Sasuke would stay in the Land of Iron, working on the meditations and other things that he did not need instruction on, and Iroh would be back in a month.

He wasn't worried about Sasuke. The boy had enough to do to keep himself occupied, and was more than capable of taking care of himself. Sasuke was actually concerned for Iroh's safety, as odd as that sentiment was, but hadn't expressed it as such.

Instead, Sasuke had insisted that the roads were unsafe, the Land of Fire was a flea-infested hell, and Konoha was full of nasty people who kicked puppies. Iroh hadn't known whether to be amused or gratified for the unanticipated swell of concern from his student.

In the end, Sasuke had conceded that Iroh needed to keep his promise, and provided him with a list of things to get, and a list of things to not do while he was there. Iroh had accepted both with a reassuring smile, and informed Sasuke that he would send a few letters. Sasuke had nodded solemnly and then retreated to his room while Iroh left, evidently having satisfied his emotional needs.

The trip to Konoha was one into gradually more beautiful country. Land of perpetual summer, indeed. Sasuke may have been slightly exaggerating about the inherent dangers.

After a delightful conversation with the guards at the gate, they had sent a quick message to Sakura at the Hokage's Tower, telling her that "Her Uncle Iroh had arrived in Konoha, and will be waiting for you inside the gate". They had then cheerfully carried on their conversation, while he waited.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait very long. Iroh had been absentmindedly scanning the town for Sakura, when out of the eye he saw a short streak of pink dart across a corner and barrel down directly towards him. He barely had time to brace himself before he was winded by an almost bone-crushing hug, but somehow found the presence of mind to hug her back.

"Uncle!" he heard, although muffled by her head buried into his shoulder, and Iroh absently noted that she'd grown at least three inches taller since their last meeting.

Eventually, her arms either grew tired of hugging or she got distracted and she pulled away, letting Iroh breathe sweet, sweet air again.

"I missed you!" she yelped happily, tugging on his arm.

He gently pried her fingers off of his arms, where they had already made some interesting white marks, and took her hands into his own. "I missed you, too, Sakura" he smiled, and she grinned back, no less excited after being forcibly removed from his person.

"So, how are things? Did you receive my letters?" he asked personably, but Sakura shook her head quickly.

"I'll tell you all about it over lunch, I'm starving" she complained, grabbing his hand (thankfully, much more gently this time) and dragging him to somewhere she claimed had "the best barbeque ever, I promise!"

Once there, they ordered their food, and she regaled him with tales of her training, working in a hospital, and her many new triumphs in becoming "the greatest kunoichi in the entire world!" Iroh couldn't help but grin at seeing how animated she was, she was much removed from the shy, stumbling girl he'd met in the Land of Iron. Evidently having a skill that suited her really did wonders for her confidence.

The food was excellent, the company better. He shared (very edited) stories about their travels back to the Land of Iron and the Sun Warriors, and stories from Sasuke's training. Of course, he'd since decided that Sasuke's name was Haru, a sunny name for his firebending student. Sakura was entranced by stories of their travels, and Iroh even found himself sharing stories from when he'd travelled the Earth Kingdom.

Sakura was talkative, sure, but she was also a very attentive listener. She lapped up stories of his youth and battles like they were life-giving water in the middle of the desert. After they finished with lunch, she dragged him back to her tiny apartment, where she ran to grab her katana. Before he could even glance around the apartment, she was yanking him out the door again and to a designated training area all the way across the town.

As she pulled him towards the training field, he took the chance to look around Konoha.

It was less advanced than the Land of Iron, but most of the buildings appeared to be less than fifteen years old. The people were simultaneously friendly and suspicious, Iroh noted with a bit of a smile. That was probably normal for a village full of ninja.

"Okay!" Sakura said breathlessly a minute later, and Iroh surveyed the area. It was a beautiful green clearing with woods surrounding the area. There were a few posts next to a large stone, that Sakura indicated to him was a memorial stone for ninja killed in action. Iroh bowed respectfully to the stone before proceeding to the clearing, and told Sakura to start her earlier katas for his inspection.

She started smoothly, and proceeded through her katas beautifully. She was better with the swords than Sasuke, he noted idly, as she finished the sequence and started again. She was picking up speed, and if that wasn't interesting enough, her eyes were closed and she was executing all the stances perfectly.

She finished and looked to Iroh for confirmation, her eyes gleaming with the pride he knew he was reflecting.

"You are most certainly ready to take on your next steps" he stated smoothly, trying not to get too excited about the prospect of having two incredibly talented and happy students.

She grinned ferally, and carefully held out her katana to Iroh. He accepted it gingerly, and took the proper stance, watching Sakura do the same.


	8. Chapter 8

"Uncle, what are you going to teach me today?" Sakura unsheathed her katana and looked eagerly over to him, and he smiled lazily.

"Sheathe your sword, Sakura. We won't use that yet" he gestured for her to set it down, and so she did, hesitantly placing it on a rock next to the Memorial Stone. She didn't move far from it, but Iroh couldn't fault her for being wary about being unarmed.

"We're going to be using these today, instead" he gestured to two wooden practice katanas he had brought up with him. Comprehension dawned on her face, and she eagerly closed the gap between them and took her sword.

Training Sakura was very different from training Sasuke, Iroh realized as he dodged a blow from Sakura's wooden practice sword. Sasuke liked to guard and bide his time before striking, letting his opponent set that pace. Sakura, in contrast, set the pace by dealing quick and potentially devastating blows.

Sakura was still very nervous sometimes, usually towards the beginning of their practices, but by the end of their practice time she was always confident and boisterous, giving him a run for his money while they were sparring.

He still was obviously more skilled than Sakura, but she had tenacity and an excess of energy he hadn't had in years. That and her enhanced strength gave her the edge she needed to make their spars interesting for both of them.

She'd made vast improvements in the last week, but Iroh suspected that had more to do with some attention than any lack of drive or talent on her part. She was brighter and happier every day, to the point where other people in Konoha had noticed a change in her disposition. One morning while wandering the streets, he'd heard a group of children her age, talking about how much more confident she'd seemed.

The girl in their group had to have been the infamous "Ino-pig", but Iroh couldn't really see the reasoning behind the nickname Sakura had for her semi-friendly rival. He'd tried not to seem interested in their conversation, focusing on a particularly pretty display in a flower shop window, but what he overheard still gave him a warm feeling on the inside.

Granted, this Ino girl had very little tact, as she expressed that Sakura, or "forehead" as she seemed to call her, "had gotten too stuck up and really sunny lately". He decided to take the meaning out of the phrase instead of relating the message itself when he told Sakura later.

* * *

He had started to notice that he was being followed in his second week of residence in Konoha. Iroh had to admit that whoever was following him was a very capable individual, and if he hadn't honed his instincts so well after years of conflict, he would have never noticed their presence at all.

It was little things. A slight rustle in the leaves when he was training Sakura when there was no breeze, too large to have been an animal. Occasionally, there were shadows where there shouldn't be, and an ever-so-slight feeling of being observed when he was in the middle of the street. No one around him seemed to notice either, but again, this was a village full of ninja. That had to be commonplace here.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything Iroh could do about it but be wary and wait. If they had ill intent towards him, they would show themselves eventually. If not, they were likely sent by the Hokage to watch the person spending so much time with her student, and they weren't going to see anything suspicious.

In either case, it was best to proceed as if he had never noticed. He went about his business normally, going into shops and talking with people. He had particularly enjoyed the conversation he had had with a man running their weapons shop the other day, and he thought he might return soon. After all, both his students would be having birthdays soon, and he thought that they deserved a wonderful present for all their hard work and progress.

With that in mind, he stood up slowly from his seat on a bench, pretending to be every bit the elderly civilian, and made his way slowly to the weapons shop in question.

* * *

Kakashi was a bit miffed, to tell the truth. He'd been out on a mission for a week or so, and when he had come back, he had decided to see how Sakura was doing with her training. He'd commited a few of the motions she'd been practicing to memory and had been rather pleased with the results. Thank Kami for the Sharingan, or it would have been a complicated and fruitless endeavor.

So he had arrived a few minutes before her usual arrival, and was more than a bit confused to find that an older man was already waiting there, standing by the Memorial Stone. He didn't look familiar to Kakashi at all, and was dressed rather strangely for the Land of Fire. He briefly considered asking if he had lost his way, but decided to wait and see how everything played out.

He was rewarded for his patience and continued social disinterest when Sakura bounced into view, and crash-landed into said elderly gentleman.

"At least she's a medic-nin, he's probably full of broken bones now" he mused, pulling out a copy of Icha Icha Tactics and situating it so that he could see them clearly over his book. To his surprise, the man recovered quickly, and guided Sakura over to where he'd evidently laid out two wooden swords. She took one up eagerly, and he the other.

He didn't think he'd ever met anyone with a more obvious death wish. In fact, if he managed to survive through the beating Sakura was going to give him, Kakashi might send him some flowers for his long-term hospital room.

But the man was holding his own, shockingly enough, and was somehow actually winning. He was much more agile than he appeared, to say the least. Sakura was slowly but obviously losing ground to a man that looked like he was the Sandaime's younger brother.

That might actually be a fair comparison, as even in his old age, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been one hell of a ninja. As he watched the spar with Icha Icha all but forgotten on his lap, he realized one thing.

At least he'd finally figured out who Sakura's mystery teacher was.

* * *

Kakashi followed the mystery man through Konoha idly. He didn't have that much time to waste spying on an octogenarian, but he was interested enough to check in with relative frequency.

This man was obviously rather charming and bored. He moved from shop to shop, making fast friends with civilians and ninjas alike.

Evidently he had a particular interest in the weapons shop, and had spent long afternoons in there talking with the owner. Kakashi meandered into the store under the guise of restocking his kunai, and overheard him and the store owner excitedly designing something. He wanted to get closer, but the owner was evidently wise to his machinations, and cheerfully helped him purchase his selections and shooed him out of the store so fast that Kakashi thought his neck hurt.

He had gotten a good glimpse of Sakura's teacher before he had left, however. He wasn't nearly as old as Kakashi had originally thought; he was probably about the same age as the Sannin. He held the posture of a civilian, but he was a bit too calm and collected for Kakashi to believe it. Of course, he'd also had the benefit of seeing him trounce a (albeit newly-minted) Chuunin in a swordfight, so he was probably a bit more skeptical than most.

Still, the man was the most interesting thing to happen to Konoha now that Naruto was off with Jiraiya, so Kakashi would continue to observe him with interest. He was a little too skilled to be a civilian, but he obviously wasn't a samurai, or everyone and their summons would have known by now. Samurai were a rather overly honest and obvious group, and Kakashi couldn't imagine that man ever occupying their ranks, he blended in too well.

He wasn't a ninja, either, judging from his unremarkable chakra system. If he were, he would have noticed Kakashi's continued presence as he went about his daily business and likely addressed him directly. Unless, of course, he had noticed and was refusing to acknowledge him anyway, so as to not break cover.

After a week of following him around, Kakashi had been able to discern a few more things: his name was Iroh, Sakura called him her uncle (though no records indicated the existence of an Iroh Haruno), and he was a genuinely charismatic individual. He did nothing too extraordinary, had no other personal contacts than Sakura, and was a little too content to appear absolutely unremarkable.

Something wasn't adding up. Kakashi shunshined directly to the Hokage Tower, and breezed past a protesting Shizune.

It was time to ask Tsunade just who in the hell had gained admittance to their village.

* * *

"So let me get this straight- my apprentice has been spending extra time training, and found someone to teach her something I don't know, and this is somehow a security issue." Tsunade deadpanned, reaching for the next hated piece of paper to be stamped with the Hokage's official seal.

Kakashi shifted, and she could swear she saw something of a laugh in his one uncovered eye. "Yes. He appears to be foreign, possesses training not like I've ever seen or heard of for Samurai or for Ninja. He is… a bit too at ease in his deception to be untrained."

"Fine, brat, I'll look into it." With that, he shunshined out of her office, and she was left alone to consider her options. This was likely the man she and Sakura had seen briefly in the Land of Tea, so at least she had a passing familiarity with his face. She had noted at the time that his mannerisms were foreign to the Land of Tea, but she hadn't really thought anything of it at the time. After seeing the paperwork state his residence was in the ever-neutral Land of Iron, she found his mannerisms even more odd. Perhaps it was time to send the Land of Iron a friendly inquiry.

At least it might keep that one-eyed golem from bothering her.

* * *

A week or so later, Iroh was shuffling aimlessly through the streets of Konoha again. He had to admit, the constant exposure to the sun was doing him good. He found the weather here much more agreeable than in the Land of Iron, it was never cold here and the sun peeked playfully through the trees at most times of day, providing Iroh with a much-needed boost.

He took his lunch in a busy ramen stall, and the proprietor started up a lively conversation with him as Iroh smiled and nodded. He had too many things to think on to properly converse at the moment.

He'd been summoned to the office of the Hokage, which was most definitely an ill omen. He had hoped to go unnoticed here, but that was evidently not going to be the case. His appointment was after lunch, which had provided him ample time to assess his situation and plan for all outcomes. He was General Iroh in another life, after all, the Dragon of the West.

Nothing equipped one better for matching wits with a military-minded leader than being raised in a family of them.

He drained his tea and smiled pleasantly at the ramen stall owner, who continued his animated rendition of the last time a group of genin had decided to pick a fight just outside. After finishing his meal, he thanked the friendly stall owner profusely and deliberately made his way to the Hokage's Tower.

He was nodded into the building by two ninja in masks, and one beckoned for Iroh to follow him. Iroh obediently trailed after him, and took pains to take in his surroundings. There were masked ninja at every corner, and every possible exit was as well-covered as Iroh would expect. He was shown through a large ornate doorway, where a pretty woman with a gentle smile then relieved the ninja of his duty and escorted him into a large office.

Tsunade of the Sannin sat before him, mulling over some paperwork.

"Tsunade- sama, I have your appointment for you" the gentle woman prodded, and indicated for Iroh to move farther into the room.

When she closed the door behind him, Iroh had the distinct impression that he had been trapped in a room with a tiger. Part of him told him that a normal man would bare his neck to a larger predator, but the more dominant side told him to stand his ground. She may be a tiger, but he was a predator in his own right. He just had to tread very carefully so as not to burn her paws.

"Lady Hokage" he bowed in a genteel manner, and noted that her eye twitched slightly at the formal address.

"I'm afraid that we weren't properly introduced before" she said coolly, shifting her pile of papers to the side and meeting his eyes. He maintained his non-threatening stance and facial expression, and inclined his head slightly in apology.

"Forgive me, my lady-"

She raised her hand to stop him, and he obliged her, smiling without teeth. He looked at her attentively, carefully observing her for any sudden movements.

"So what is the Dragon of the West doing in my village?"

Well, that was somewhat surprising. Though, in retrospect, his papers were actual documents from the Land of Iron, and Mifune-san had accepted his plea for asylum. So there was both nothing she could do to him, and no reason to withhold his identity if asked. The guards at the gates just hadn't been familiar with his given name.

"I am retired, as I am sure you're aware, and have found travelling to be a wonderful balm for my past" he answered carefully, seeing her eyes narrow as she leaned closer to him over her desk.

"Let's not play games, General Iroh. What business do you have here, and how do you know my apprentice?"

This was a dangerous game they were playing, now. Iroh had to proceed very carefully, lest he wanted Sakura to bear the indignity of being associated with a potential threat.

"I met Sakura in a seaside town in the Land of Iron, where she was wandering the streets alone. She offered to assist me with a small task, and I accepted. I then travelled to the Land of Tea for reasons of personal interest, and was fortunate to meet with yourself and Sakura there, as you mentioned. Later that day, Sakura was wandering the city unsupervised and found me again. I accompanied her to a few shops she wished to visit, and when she expressed interest in one of my areas of expertise, I offered her some assistance to repay her for her earlier kindness. She then asked if I would continue instruction here with her for a time at a later date, which I accepted."

He bowed lightly again, and Tsunade looked like she was just hit with a sizable migraine. He continued politely, "I had and have no intentions to bring harm of any kind to your people (in fact, he was accepting responsibilities for two of them, but she couldn't know that), and am regretful that I have caused any trouble for you."

She stared at him darkly, and there was utter silence while she thought.

Iroh stood still, aware that any movements may be interpreted as aggression on his part. He was glad that he had managed to phrase his words so skillfully, as otherwise Sakura may have been in a great deal of trouble. As it stood, Sakura's supposed supervisor (possibly Tsunade in both cases, for all he knew) was to blame for a child wandering unfamiliar streets unaccompanied. He knew that Sakura was considered an adult, but she had been the lowest level of ninja at that time, and should have been with a team.

Now Sakura was not a threat, but an improperly cared-for young shinobi properly representing her village by offering her assistance to someone in need, and seeking out information and skills that would benefit her village.

No wonder Tsunade was probably having a migraine.

After a few minutes of utter silence, Tsunade deliberately looked him in the eyes. "Very well. I see no problems with your occupying the village and teaching my student. However…" her eyes gleamed in a manner that eerily reminded Iroh of his father, and Iroh had to steel himself from stepping back from the inevitable blast.

"I would like to request your assistance."

An unexpected turn of events, but Iroh wasn't one to complain. So long as he did not violate any agreement or understanding between himself and Mifune-san, he would be more than happy to oblige. Not least because it provided him the opportunity to lock horns in a battle of wits with Tsunade, who was looking to be a very able opponent.

And perhaps, he reasoned, as he upturned the corners of his mouth to match Tsunade's expression, this would prove a very beneficial arrangement for them both. He didn't really think Sasuke should have to live in exile forever, after all.

* * *

"Well, my little apprentice, it appears you've been a very busy girl."

Sakura froze like an unsuspecting rabbit directly in a tiger's line of sight, and Tsunade let herself grin a little bit, baring only the smallest amount of her teeth.

Sakura's left eye twitched and quickly glanced at the door to her right, obviously trying to judge the amount of distance she had to clear to get out the door and to the relative safety of a crowded street full of violence-inclined ninja.

Judging from the wide eyes and lips being bitten, Sakura knew just as well as Tsunade did that she would never make it.

"Yes, shishou?" Sakura squeaked (Kami, the Dragon had been right, the girl was sorely lacking in confidence).

"Don't squeak like that. Your other teacher has taught you better, I'm sure." Tsunade folded her arms and examined her apprentice closely.

From what Kakashi had told her, Sakura had been ferocious on that training field. She'd never have guessed from how Sakura was behaving now.

"Stop your shivering, Sakura, I'm not upset with you."

Sakura finally started to start breathing again, and the color that had been draining from her cheeks suddenly came back in full force.

"You aren't mad at me?" Sakura blinked unsteadily, as she took a few steps back to lean against the nearest wall. "Kami, I thought I was living my last moments."

"Somehow I think your 'uncle' would be very unhappy if I did that." Tsunade was bored with tormenting her poor apprentice already, but it had to be done. She crossed the room, sat back behind her desk, and leaned back into her chair, keeping a steady eye on her wavering student.

"Well, I suppose that at least no one could ever say that you have low standards" Tsunade said drily, flicking an imaginary piece of dust off of her desk.

Sakura took a deep breath and looked at her again, head cocked vaguely like a curious puppy.

"I mean to say, your first teacher is the famous Copy Nin, you're the apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, and your new teacher is none other than the famed General Iroh, Dragon of the West." Tsunade clicked her tongue dismissively, and beckoned Sakura closer.

"I don't even want to know how you managed that, kid." Tsunade managed a real, but delicate, smile this time.

Sakura's mouth opened and closed a few times. Evidently her conversational aptitude was taking a rain check, Tsunade mused while she half-closed her eyes while Sakura was busy having a small meltdown.

"So you didn't know" Tsunade knew she hadn't. Her excitable student blathered on about anything and everything around her, so if she'd known a famous General (and royal, she reminded herself) was teaching her, all of the Land of Fire would know, too.

Sakura shook her head quickly, as if she was hoping what she had just heard would fall out of her ears and she could forget it.

"I talked to him, and neither of you are in trouble. Sakura, I'm actually very glad you found such an able teacher. No one here would have been able to teach you that, and it didn't stop you. Anything you want that badly, you should be able to keep."

Sakura sighed in relief and Tsunade noticed that her knee appeared to be shaking. It would be best if she finished this quickly if she didn't want a prone Chuunin on her rug. Shizune tended to over-react to things like that.

She leaned forward and caught Sakura's gaze dead in the eye. "I will be expecting results from this, Sakura. Kakashi will be reporting on your progress."

With that, Tsunade looked back down at the mountain of papers on her desk and growled quietly.

"You are dismissed, Sakura. You have the day off, spend it how you like."

Sakura left so quickly that papers started flying off Tsunade's desk, but she caught them quickly and set them back down.

"That's one small fire put out, only a million more to go." Tsunade mumbled, lip curling in distaste at the prospect of spending her afternoon teaching paper to fear.


	9. Chapter 9

"So" Tsunade slid a slip of paper across the table to her deceptively amiable guest. "I have heard that Orochimaru is deceased."

"I have heard it so, yes" Iroh deftly retrieved the paper from her fingers, and viewed it impassively.

"Do you know anything about it?" Tsunade asked with all the sweetness she could muster. Playing mind games with a General was an exhausting exercise, and they had already been going around in circles for hours. She longed for the quiet comfort of the Hokage Mansion and the bottle of Soju hidden therein, but it would have to wait.

"Only what I have heard from the whispers of the people" Iroh stated calmly, as he placed the paper back on her desk.

"And just what have you heard?"

"That this Orochimaru was slaughtering villagers, and someone put an end to it. The stories vary on the identity of the victor, sometimes he is a tall man with a mighty sword, or the infamous Copy Nin." Iroh shrugged amiably, and reached for the cup of tea Shizune had brought in for him.

"And sometimes, is he an older man capable of breathing fire?" Tsunade deadpanned, reaching for her own glass in turn.

Iroh smiled in a way most people would have found disarming, but Tsunade knew better. "I would not put it past people's imaginations to think of something so fantastic." Iroh took a long drink of his tea, and brought the cup slightly down from his face, meeting Tsunade's eyes with his own, so that she could see a playful spark in them. "But I am sure you have more reliable information than the gossip of civilians."

Tsunade willed her eye from twitching in agitation. "No, but I have a Fire Nation royal sitting in my office."

His smile never faltered, and he looked over her with kind eyes. "Perhaps" he offered, "it would be best if we had a greater foundation of trust to stand on."

Tsunade snorted, and leaned back into her chair. "And how do you propose to accomplish that?"

Iroh gingerly retrieved a small folder from his jacket, and placed it upon her desk. His hand remained on top of the paper, and he stared directly into her eyes. "An equal exchange of information".

Tsunade eyed the paper under his hand warily. "And what is that?"

Iroh smiled and shrugged at her, which pulled at her curiosity.

"Fine" Tsunade sighed, rubbing at her temples.

He pushed the folder gently towards her and she carefully examined the documents therein. "So it's true, he is dead."

Iroh inclined his head slightly, and Tsunade felt slightly light-headed. "Was there any information on a boy that may have been with him, around the age of thirteen?"

Iroh shook his head slowly, and Tsunade could see that he was genuinely sorry for being unable to help her with that information. "There were no reports of a boy made" he said quietly.

Tsunade's head inclined forwards, and she brought her hands back up to her face to cover her eyes. So they had no information on Sasuke still. Naruto was going to be absolutely inconsolable, not to mention her already emotionally vulnerable apprentice.

"Shizune?" she called out, and the woman in question appeared in the doorway.

"Yes?" the woman in question appeared quickly, poking her head into the doorway.

"Bring us the files on Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno" Tsunade sighed, lifting her head from her hands in time to see Shizune nod and disappear again. She looked over to Iroh, who was watching her with mild interest.

"Sasuke Uchiha is the missing boy" she clarified. "If you're going to work with me, I would like you to look for him."

"You would have me look for a missing child?" he inquired calmly. "That seems a waste of your resources."

"It would seem so, if you were unfamiliar with his background" Tsunade said drily, pinching the bridge of her nose to try to relieve some of the headache that was quickly forming.

"I have the files you requested" Shizune said smoothly, gliding into the room and placing them on the desk.

Tsunade grunted in acknowledgement, and Iroh turned up to smile warmly at Shizune.

"Thank you, Shizune-san" he inclined his head in a slight bow, and Shizune giggled a bit in spite of herself.

Tsunade scowled, and Shizune quickly took her leave.

"Well, General Iroh" she started, and at his protests she reconsidered. "Iroh-san, I believe that we can be of use to each other."

He nodded in agreement, and she gestured towards the files Shizune had left on the desk. "I would like for you to review both of these files, and continue to train Sakura as you see fit. I will be monitoring her development closely and she will still be receiving her normal training from myself."

He nodded, and so Tsunade continued calmly "As for Sasuke Uchiha, I would like for you to review his files and attempt to find any information as to his location and state of being. I would like him to be returned to Konoha unharmed, as he is a young ninja under my care. I would not see him harmed unjustly, and I will provide you access to the Uchiha grounds and any unclassified information on his family or education as you see fit."

Iroh stood and bowed lightly in understanding. "Is there anything else you would wish of me, Tsunade-sama?"

She shook her head briefly, and he turned to leave her office. Sighing in relief as he shut the door behind him, Tsunade leaned her head back onto the back of her chair and closed her eyes. As taxing as debating Iroh could be, it was infinitely more tolerable than the next item on her agenda.

"Danzo-sama here to see you" Shizune called, and Tsunade grumbled a retort that would have left Jiraiya blushing.

* * *

"Hi, Uncle, Tsunade-sama said you needed me?" Sakura bounced on her heels lightly, as Iroh looked up from the papers Tsunade had given him.

"Yes, Sakura. Your Hokage has asked me to locate your teammate, and so I need your help." Iroh examined Sakura's face as it turned first to confusion, then relief.

"You know, I thought when Tsunade-sama told me that I needed to prepare for a mission, I thought I'd be leaving the village." Sakura sighed, and ran her hand through her hair. "So what do you need me to do, Uncle? I haven't seen him in almost two years, I don't think I would be much help." Sakura looked guiltily at the ground, and idly tug her toe into the dirt.

"We are going to look in the Uchiha clan compound for any information as to where he would have gone, and you will be an immense help" Iroh reassured her. "Your eyes are younger than mine, and we must assume there are multiple traps inside. You are well-suited to the task, and are a very clever and observant young lady. In fact, I do not think I could complete this assignment without your assistance."

Sakura's mood lifted immediately, and she smiled hesitantly at him. "Do you know where the clan compound is?" Iroh shook his head. "Well, I've never been inside, but I know where it is. Let's go!"

Iroh offered her his hand, and Sakura grabbed it excitedly. She pulled him out of his seat and through the winding streets of Konoha, stopping a long while later at a large and imposing gate.

"Here we are!" Sakura announced, as Iroh carefully examined the deserted ground before him. It had never occurred to him just how large Sasuke's clan must have been before the massacre. Elegant buildings sprawled out as far as the eye could see, neatly organized so as to emphasize the importance of the main house at the center.

"Where do we want to start?" Sakura asked, leaning from her torso in through the gate and peeking around inside.

"The main house, I believe" Iroh said calmly. He had reviewed Sasuke's instructions to get into the clan library, and the only entrance was accessed through there.

Sakura and Iroh moved slowly through the grounds, disabling a few traps and making their way to the imposing structure, checking the other buildings on the way. The grounds were in a rather obvious state of disrepair, there were weeds climbing over the paths and up the buildings. Some of the vines were crawling in and out of cracks in the houses, and Iroh saw more than a few old bloodstains on the wooden floorings from outside.

How long had Sasuke lived here, with nothing but the whispers of the wind and his own despair? Had he been the one that tried to scrub the bloodstains from the walls and floors?

Iroh shook his head in a futile attempt to banish the thought from his mind, and followed Sakura into the main house.

"Wow" Sakura breathed after stepping through the doorway. "It's just how he left it."

There were clean dishes put away, and everything indicated that Sasuke had literally cleaned the house, packed his clothes, and left. It was obvious that he had been intending to return, from the care he had taken to shut up all of the windows and doors properly.

In fact, the only reason they knew someone wasn't living there was the fine layer of dust all over.

"It makes me sad just looking at it," Sakura sighed, holding her hands over her heart.

"I know," Iroh placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of her trance. "But lingering upon it will do none of us any good. In any case, we should look around and see if he left anything for us to find. It appears that he intended to return, does it not?"

"Mmhmm" Sakura hummed, and turned to enter the hallway.

The first bedrooms were much like the front rooms, someone had meticulously cleaned and organized them before leaving. The beds were made, the floors were free of bloodstains, and everything was probably just as it was when the occupants had been alive. The next door neither Iroh nor Sakura could open, Iroh suspected that it had been Itachi's room. He kept that opinion to himself, and proceeded down the hallway feeling like a stone had lodged itself in his stomach.

Iroh couldn't help but think he might have burned it all down to save Sasuke the heart wrenching horror of living there ever again.

Near the end of the hall, they reached what could only have been Sasuke's room. It was Spartan bare, with only a bed and an empty dresser for his weapons and clothes. There were holes and gashes on some of the woodwork, it looked like anything that had decorated it before had been unceremoniously stripped from the walls.

Iroh and Sakura combed the room completely, but found nothing at all within its walls.

"Did you know Sasuke well?" Iroh carefully shut Sasuke's bedroom door behind him, eager to get as far away from the empty clan grounds as possible. The silence here was deafening and oppressive. There were patches of grass children should have been playing on, kitchens that should have been filled with sweet and savory smells, and beds that should have been occupied.

Not to mention the beautiful wooden floors that shouldn't be tinged red.

"Well, he was on my team, and I…. I liked him for a long time. He didn't really talk to anybody, so I don't think anyone really knew him." Sakura said hesitantly, while she stared blankly into the empty family room.

"I feel like all the emptiness is screaming at me." She shifted from one foot to the other, and looked back at Iroh sadly. "How did he live here?"

Iroh felt his stomach jump into his throat. "One day at a time, with a great weight in his heart, I think." She nodded slowly, and put a hand out to the door frame. She slid it down gently in a considering manner, and Iroh knew that she was thinking to herself again.

"Do you miss him?" Iroh ventured, leaning back onto the other doorway. Being in this is place was beginning to drain him considerably. The very air felt stale and sorrowful, it ate at him with every breath.

"Yes, I do." Sakura murmured. "I hope he's safe, and I hope he comes home." She looked up into Iroh's eyes. "Do you think he's all right?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Iroh reached out quickly with his hand to catch her shoulder again. She dove her head into his chest, weeping on his collarbone. "What if he's dead, Uncle?" she choked, and Iroh gently moved his arm from her shoulder to the back of her head. "What if he's dead, dead, dead and he never comes home?"

Iroh said nothing, but let her rest her head on his collarbone and cry. After she had used up all her tears, she straightened, pulling away and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Uncle," she choked, "do you think he's dead?"

He'd anticipated telling her on a happier occasion, but it appeared she wouldn't be able to wait that long.

"Sakura, would you be willing to keep a secret to keep him safe?"

She nodded determinedly, still sniffling. It hurt to see her in so much emotional distress.

"Suppose," he hesitated, knowing that the wording he used would make all the difference between two living, happy students and one dead one, "that Sasuke happened to find a teacher." If she told Tsunade… The Hokage might rescind her offer of clemency to the boy. She did not trust Iroh at all, and the association would trouble her.

"Like Orochimaru?" Sakura whispered, eyes wide with fear.

"No, not like Orochimaru. Perhaps a teacher that cared for him, and wanted him to be safe and happy." Iroh shifted his weight from one foot to another, careful to not remove his gaze from Sakura's eyes.

"A teacher like you?" she asked, instantly furrowing her brows together the same way she did whenever she puzzled out a difficult problem.

"Maybe" he pursed his lips together, and hoped that Sakura would find his meaning. He could never tell her outright and risk both of their lives, but she was a very clever girl.

"And maybe that person would make him come home?" A clever girl, indeed, bargaining like that.

"I do not think Sasuke is the kind of boy who can be forced to do anything." he acknowledged, watching the darkness creep back over Sakura's face. "But I do think that he would return when he is ready, if he knows there is anything to come back to."

At that, she smiled tentatively, and Iroh held out his hand. She placed her hand in his, and he compressed it lightly.

"I thought I saw something odd in this room" he ventured, gesturing with his other hand to the area where the hidden entrance was. "Perhaps we should investigate?"

Sakura didn't let go of his hand, and gently pulled him over to the area. "I don't see anything, Uncle."

"Hmm." He reached out his empty hand to run his fingers down the woodwork. When he found the catch, he pulled it delicately. The panel creaked open, and Sakura gasped.

"You're amazing, Uncle! What do you think is down there?" He nudged the panel open wider with his foot, and was greeted by total darkness.

"Perhaps we should find out?" Iroh turned to see Sakura grinning fiercely, as she pulled a flashlight out of the pack on her belt.

She hit the button with her thumb, and directed it into the darkness. "A whole lot of stairs, Uncle. We should see what Sasuke left for us to find."

They carefully descended the staircase to find a massive room full of scrolls, just as Sasuke had described in his instructions.

"A clan library!" Sakura's eyes were wide with wonder, and Iroh couldn't help but chuckle. Her file had made many notes of Sakura's interest in reading. She turned back to look at him bashfully, and squeezed his fingers hesitantly. "Do you think Sasuke would mind if I took a look at some of them?"

"Knowledge is a wonderful thing" Iroh shrugged. "I should think that so long as you return them and do not share them with anyone else, he might not mind."

Sakura squealed excitedly and let go of his hand. "Is there anything he might want in specific?"

"I believe he might be interested in something called a 'summoning contract' and his family jutsu, would you know how to locate those?" Iroh shuffled across the room, and began to examine a scroll.

Sakura picked up scroll after scroll, bringing them to the table in the middle. "We're going to need more light, Uncle" she said placidly, setting the flashlight on the tabletop. "I saw some candles over there, would you be able to light them while I look?"

Iroh found the candles in question with relative ease, and quickly lit each one out of Sakura's line of sight. He brought two to the table and placed them out of her way, while she patted the dust off of a chair and seated herself to examine the scrolls she had found.

Iroh went to work pulling out each scroll in turn and bringing anything he thought might be relevant to Sakura at her table. He lost track of the time they had spent in the library, mindlessly examining the labels on each scroll.

Suddenly, Sakura squealed from behind him, and he quickly turned around to address any potential threat. Sakura was standing up, proudly holding out a scroll to him, which he tentatively accepted. "That's the summoning contract he was looking for" Sakura said, looking for all the world like a cat that had eaten the family canary.

"Did we find any of his special family jutsu?" Iroh inquired, sliding the scroll up the sleeve of his jacket.

"Oh, yes. And I've found a few things I'd like to read, too." Sakura glanced back to the immense pile of scrolls littering the table's surface.

Iroh smiled warmly back at her, and moved towards the table. "Well, perhaps we should gather our things and go, then?"

Sakura hummed in agreement, and went to work putting scrolls into two containment scrolls she had had in her pack. "You know," she started conversationally, "I've never really had to use containment scrolls before. But these will be much safer this way, if we carry them around normally people will see them, or they could get ruined."

"Should I put the summoning scroll into the seal as well?" Iroh inquired over her shoulder, and she shook her head.

"No, probably not the best idea. I'm not sure if it would react differently, and if it disappears, no one can use it." She shrugged, and turned to hand him his containment scroll.

"Unless I missed my guess, your well-dressed nephew should know how to open it." she grinned, and Iroh placed this scroll up his other sleeve, placing the bottom into the hem just like its partner.

* * *

"Uncle, do you really have to leave?" Sakura whined, obstinately kicking the dirt a ways outside the Konoha gate.

He cocked an amused eyebrow at her, and she scrunched her nose in retaliation. "Fine, Uncle. I know you have to leave. But you're going to be back soon, right?"

"I will be back when I am able." Iroh allowed, ruffling Sakura's hair affectionately. She shook her head to remove his hand, and let her hair fall back down around her face.

"Ok. Will you keep writing me?" She examined him carefully for any trace of a lie.

"Of course, Sakura." He inclined his head forward, and smiled at her. "My nephew also enjoyed your letters, be sure to write often."

Sakura grinned, and jumped forward to hug Iroh tightly. He patted her back reassuringly, and carefully pried her off of him after a long moment.

"I must leave now, Sakura." he looked confidently into her jade-green eyes, and clasped his hands around hers and squeezed. "I will return as soon as I am able."

She nodded, and he released her hands. He turned to the road, and waved goodbye to the friendly gate guards before shuffling down the road. Sakura watched his fading figure until he finally disappeared from view, then slowly made her way back to her dark and lonely apartment.

* * *

So, as previously mentioned, I love reviews. Mostly because I love getting constructive feedback (and in particular, please, Aninnymouse, log in so I can PM you, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have) and partly because that way it feels less like I'm talking to the air.

So thank you for viewing, I hope you enjoy it. :)

Even though this chapter was pretty depressing.


	10. Chapter 10

"Where, oh where would my dutiful apprentice be?" Iroh mused loudly, as he pushed open the door. All he saw was a flash of black fly across the outskirts of his vision before Sasuke appeared before him, tensely looking him up and down for any visible wounds or obvious spoils from his trip to Konoha.

"I think you may have slightly exaggerated about the state of the Land of Fire" Iroh offered blandly, "not even one person threatened to kill me. Other than having to meet with your Hokage, it was a very pleasant venture."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "What did the Hokage want?"

Iroh couldn't really resist the smile that pulled the corners of his mouth so tightly that it hurt. "Tsunade-sama wanted me to locate one Sasuke Uchiha. I don't suppose you've seen one anywhere, have you?"

Sasuke's mouth dropped. Iroh put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. "She doesn't want to hurt you, she wants you to return to Konoha. I thought it best to tell you that you are not actually being hunted by your comrades."

Sasuke nodded weakly, arms hanging limply by his sides. Iroh shook him very lightly, and affected a playful grin.

"But I did find some things I thought you might be interested in, dear student." Iroh carefully removed the summoning contract from his sleeve and waved it teasingly under Sasuke's nose. "But I suppose if you are intent on moping about, I can just read the letter Sakura wrote for you while I wait. Surely you would not deny an old man's curiosity?"

The words were barely out of his mouth before the summoning scroll was snatched out of his hands, and Sasuke stalked to a chair in the corner. He flopped onto it moodily and carefully unrolled the scroll. Iroh watched as Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Sifu-shishou…"

"Yes, Sasuke? Is everything all right?" Iroh edged closer to his obviously conflicted student.

Sasuke looked up blankly as Iroh cocked his head curiously. "This is my family's nin-cat contract. Where did you find it?"

Iroh shrugged helplessly. "It was in your clan's library, where you had told me to look."

Sasuke's eye twitched, and he looked confused. "I thought you'd find more jutsu for me to use, but I hadn't actually thought the contract would be in there at all."

"Well," Iroh puzzled, "is this not a good thing? You had been lamenting your lack of summons."

"Oh, good." Sasuke said drily, slumping back into the chair. "Maybe the cats can help by taking sun naps with me. Won't that be wonderful."

Iroh couldn't suppress the snort that erupted from him, unbidden. "It would be nice for you to have companions that share your interests." He stated mildly, pretending to inspect his fingernails so he wouldn't laugh uncontrollably at his student's surly expression.

Sasuke grumbled something unintelligible, and Iroh finally regained enough composure to glance up at him.

"How do you use it?" Iroh would certainly admit to more than a passing interest in a summoning contract, at least. The ability to call on powerful allies in a moment's notice would be very useful in both combat and any information-gathering exercises. There hadn't really been anything like that in the Elemental Nations, excepting the stories of the Avatars' respective animal companions.

"I think I just sign it, and if they accept me, they let me summon them." Sasuke glared at the contract as if he might intimidate it into divulging its secrets. Iroh carefully kept his face unreadable, and watched as Sasuke twitched uncomfortably under his gaze. "Shishou, do you have a pen?"

Iroh fumbled in his bag, and his fingers finally identified a pen at the bottom. He brought it to Sasuke, who accepted it wordlessly and continued to stare at the scroll, gnawing at his lower lip. Sasuke hesitantly brought the tip of the pen to the paper, and scrawled out his name at the bottom. Then he closed his eyes tightly and they both waited.

Nothing happened, no fires, no noises, not a single indication that anything had changed at all. Sasuke opened his eyes again, and examined the scroll closely. "Well, my name is still there, that's good… right?"

Iroh shrugged, unable to offer any sort of assistance in the matter. "Should you try to summon one, then?"

"Yeah… probably. I used to watch clan members summon them all the time, I think I can remember how." With that, Sasuke made a few quick hand motions and with a small popping sound, a rather agitated-looking kitten flopped down on the floor.

It was a pretty sepia- colored cat with darker brown rosette markings. Iroh thought he recalled the breed being called a "Bengal cat", but he was far from an expert. It had been a popular breed among Fire Nation nobles for a time, due to its exotic looks and regal demeanor.

"Ow." It complained, trying to rub its head with the back of its paw. It looked up at Sasuke, who had entirely frozen in his chair.

"You're my summoner?" The kitten examined Sasuke closely with wide, expressive eyes. "You don't look like much."

Sasuke actually looked affronted by that, scrunching his nose and curling his upper lip. "You aren't so impressive yourself. What am I supposed to do with you, hope my enemies die laughing when they see you?"

The kitten's haunches went up, and it hissed loudly.

From his relatively safe position by the doorway, Iroh had to admit that they couldn't have found a more perfect summons for Sasuke if they tried. At least Sasuke had the presence of mind (and far too much pride) to not actually hiss back, so Iroh cleared his throat loudly.

Both Sasuke and the kitten turned towards him quickly with defensive postures. Iroh stifled the giggle rising in his throat, and directed a respectful nod in the kitten's direction.

"Sasuke, it might be prudent to introduce yourself respectfully to your guest." The kitten's chest puffed out with apparent pride, and glared back up at Sasuke expectantly.

Sasuke rose from his chair reluctantly, and gave a slight bow to an overly satisfied kitten.

Iroh distinctly wished that he had one of those cameras Mifune-san had shown him so that he could cherish the memory forever.

"I am Sasuke of the Uchiha clan." Sasuke announced sullenly, avoiding eye contact with the room's other occupants. "May I ask for your name?"

The kitten settled onto its back legs, and lifted its chin high in the air. "I am Hideyoshi," it gloated to no one in particular, "a nin-cat of extraordinary talent and strength."

Sasuke snorted, and Hideyoshi glared up at him from his seat on the floor. "I was named for the great warlord Hideyoshi" the kitten asserted fiercely, baring tiny white teeth.

"Your mother must have had some overly optimistic expectations for you" Sasuke snarked, inspiring a fresh hiss from the fluffy kitten on the floor.

Iroh thought about stepping in, but unfortunately Sasuke needed to learn to get along with his summons on his own. If the summons responded more positively to Iroh than their own summoner, it was a recipe for disaster. He shrugged to himself, and quietly backed into the kitchen where he could sit and have a nice relaxing cup of tea while Sasuke and Hideyoshi worked out their differences.

* * *

After many months, Sasuke and Hideyoshi had found a sort of delicate balance. Iroh tittered to himself as his grumpy, fluffy-headed apprentice shuffled behind him with a fluffy, equally cantankerous kitten in tow. Sasuke knew enough that he kept Hideyoshi around almost constantly, dragging him to train and even just around the house. To Iroh's constant amusement, both parties were obviously bonding well with each other, but refused to acknowledge it as such.

This had initially mostly resulted in a grumpy apprentice carrying around an angry and possessive kitten everywhere, which the girls in the village found absolutely irresistible.

But for now, they were alone. Mifune-san had sent him another assignment, to investigate some strange rumors about a group called "Akatsuki". Luckily, Tsunade was interested in the same information, so Iroh would be pleasing both of his employers with little effort. He hummed happily as he shuffled along the well-worn road, breathing in the sweet summer air of the Land of Vegetables, where he would be to meeting with one of Tsunade's informants.

"Shishou, I think this is the place Mifune-san mentioned." Sasuke gestured to a worn-down building slightly up the road. Even from here, Iroh could see the movement of a considerable crowd outside.

"I think you are right, Haru." Iroh shifted to pull his bag back over his shoulder, and beckoned Sasuke to come closer. "Would you be so kind as to find a place for us to stay the night? I do not think my friend and I will want to talk for long, it will be dark soon." Sasuke nodded obligingly, and sped ahead to the small town beyond the inn Tsunade's spy should be in.

Luckily, Sasuke had gotten very used to responding to his new name by now. They certainly travelled enough to warrant a permanent fake identity, and Mifune had kindly provided the papers to match for Iroh's 'nephew' and altered Iroh's own to include a false last name.

Iroh meandered slowly into the inn and took a seat towards the back of the room, removing his hat and placing it on the table. That was supposed to be the signal for Tsunade's informant, Iroh just hoped he woudnlt' be waiting for too long while Sasuke sat languishing in a boring hotel room.

Not a minute later, a man with long white hair and distinctive facial markings plopped down in the seat across from Iroh and grinned.

"So, I take it you're the 'Iron Dragon' I've heard so much about." The man waved and winked boorishly at the pretty waitress, who blushed and fled the area with uncommon haste.

Somehow, Iroh was less than impressed. Tsunade-sama had warned him that this contact would be a bit odd, but he hadn't been quite prepared for someone this… uncouth. The corners of his mouth pinched slightly, but he forced himself to smile at the man he was going to have to communicate with for the foreseeable future.

"I suppose I am." Iroh inclined his head slightly, and folded his hands delicately on the table in front of him. "And you are Jiraiya, as I understand."

The man grinned widely again, leaning across the table and slightly into Iroh's personal space. Iroh refused to flinch, instead calmly eyeing Jiraiya as one might watch a chained but violent dog. They stared at each other for a moment, until Jiraiya pushed himself back and situated himself comfortably in his seat.

"Iron Dragon indeed." He said in an amused tone, gesturing to another server to come take an order. "We should probably get down to business."

Iroh almost sighed in relief. He was most definitely uninterested in another battle of wits today. Poor Sasuke might burn down the hotel in sheer frustration if he was forced to wait one out, if Jiraiya was any match for Tsunade-sama.

"But first," Jiraiya smiled in a predatorial manner, as Iroh's stomach again coiled itself into many knots, "I have a few questions for you."

* * *

Sasuke walked confidently into the hotel's elegantly tiled lobby and up to the counter. He proudly disregarded the obvious stares of the other patrons, who were doubtlessly wondering where his legal guardian was, and waited patiently for the woman behind the counter to look up at him. After a few moments of utter silence (he forgot that civilians weren't nearly so good at moving quietly again), he realized he was going to have to say something.

"Um, miss?"

Her head shot up rapidly, and she stared at him uncomprehendlingly for a moment, cocking her head slightly to her left side.

"Well, hello there." She smiled warmly, and Sasuke heard the unmistakable sound of a heavy book closing on her desk, safely out of his sight. "How can I help you?"

"My uncle and I are in town for his business, and he asked me to run ahead and pick up the room keys. There should be a reservation here for us, my uncle's name is Iroh Tokidaki, and I'm Haru." He slid his identification papers over the counter, which she looked over quickly and handed back to him with a smile. She then pulled out a book of reservations and slid her immaculate pink nail down the page, resting at his shishou's fake name.

"Well, there you are, Haru. I'm Mei, and I'll show you to your room, okay?" she smiled sweetly at him, and Sasuke was inordinately glad he hadn't had to explain his lack of parental supervision for once. He smiled and nodded, and she stepped out from behind her desk.

Mei was actually very pretty, Sasuke noted, when she wasn't under the hideous fluorescent lights behind the hotel's counter. She had big blue eyes and long brown hair that reached the middle of her back, and every time she moved he could smell her perfume. It smelled like apricot blossoms and some other things Sasuke couldn't identify. Of course, Sifu probably knew the name of her perfume. Sasuke wasn't nearly so learned, or frankly all that interested.

Sasuke shuffled along next to the overly-cheery Mei, who excitedly pointed out everything she thought he could ever need to know about his current living situation. "Haru, that's the boy's onsen down there." She gestured enthusiastically, and Sasuke turned and nodded in an obliging manner, noting the location for further use. "Oh, and Haru," she stopped at a window and beckoned him to close closer. He shuffled over to the window, and she pointed to a tiny building on the street, decorated with painfully bright colors, "that's an amazing ice cream shop, you should really try it while you're here."

"You like ice cream?" Sasuke asked conversationally, desperately hoping to avoid Mei prying into what exactly he and Sifu were doing here.

"Oh, yes, it's my favorite sweet. Dango was just never really my thing, I hate the texture." She chattered, making some exaggerated gagging expressions about dango's apparently offensive texture. "My favorite flavor there is green tea, they make a lot of really interesting flavors down there."

Sasuke nodded, pretending to be very interested as she gave him the rest of the tour through the hotel, and finally arrived at his room's door. She smiled sweetly as she turned the key and opened the door wide for him to enter, and Sasuke stepped gingerly around her and into the suite. He placed his bag on the bed, and looked back up at Mei.

She held out the key, and backed out of the room after setting some papers on the counter inside. "If you need anything I'm here most of the day, and the other staff should be able to assist you with anything you need. Are there any questions I can answer for you before I go back to the front desk?"

Sasuke bit his lip lightly and mulled it over. Sifu would probably be gone for a few hours tonight, if not longer, meeting with his informant. Sasuke didn't have the patience to deal with that kind of information gathering yet, but that didn't mean Sifu didn't have high expectations for his apprentice. He was supposed to find out five things about each person he met while they were travelling, and he was pretty short on facts about Mei, strangely enough. She'd somehow mastered the art of saying lots of words without ever really saying anything at all. Sasuke was actually impressed.

"What do you like to do around here?" he asked noncommittally, hoping she wouldn't get the impression that he was some sort of awful pervert like that Sage Naruto had had to go off with, "I've never been here before, and my uncle is very busy with his work. Is there anything you would recommend for me to do or see?"

Mei's blue eyes sparked, and she pulled a pen out from the pocket of her jacket. She stepped back into the room and leaned over the piece of paper she'd left on the counter, and beckoned him closer with her unoccupied hand. Sasuke hesitantly stepped forward and watched as she furiously scrawled out names and addresses. "Well, first, there's a wonderful little place down by the plaza…"

* * *

Sasuke was laying down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, when he heard the telltale click of a key in the door. The door creaked open, and he could hear Sifu shuffle slowly to his bed and sit down. Sasuke sat up and turned to him. "How was your meeting, shishou?"

Sifu groaned lightly, rubbing his forehead. "It was incredibly long and tiring. I hope your day was better, did you discover anything?"

"The lady at the front desk is really nice. Her name is Mei, she likes green tea ice cream, reading, and has a thing for art history. She's deathly afraid of spiders, and I don't think her boyfriend is good enough for her at all."

Iroh choked out something that sounded strangely like a laugh, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Is there something I should know, shishou?"

"No, not at all!" Sifu waved Sasuke's concerns away like irritating flies, and Sasuke grunted.

His stomach growled lightly under his shirt, and Sifu looked at him tiredly. "I should have brought you some dinner, Haru-kun, I'm sorry. In my haste I neglected to think about food."

"I'll get it."

The old man looked exhausted. There was no point in making him take another trip when Sasuke could do it easily.

Sifu nodded drowsily, folding his hands together onto his lap. "I would appreciate that greatly, my nephew. However, there is one thing I should warn you of. This Jiraiya I met with today is… incredibly persistent and somewhat suspicious of me, even more so than your Hokage," he said dryly.

Sasuke's mouth and nose pinched in a grimace, and Sifu chuckled with very little amusement in the sound. "I see you may have met him before."

"He's disgusting, shishou." Sasuke said with no small amount of distaste. "Naruto said he likes to spend his time outside the women's onsen, watching." Even Naruto was better than that.

Slightly.

Sifu's face remained blank.

"That is rather repulsive, my nephew. However, the only people we can control are ourselves." Sifu said in a faux-nonchalant manner, and Sasuke paused. That was an odd thing to say. Unless…

Sasuke sighed, suddenly realizing his mistake. "My face reacted again, didn't it?"

Sifu nodded and shrugged, smiling genuinely. "You will learn to control your emotions, Haru-kun. It takes much time and practice."

"Tsunade sent the pervert because she knew it would disturb you, didn't she?"

Iroh made a valiant attempt to appear impassive. "Now, now, it could very well be that this Jiraiya is a singularly competent individual, best qualified for the task at hand."

He received only a flat stare in return. That statement was too stupidly idealistic to merit a reply.

"That reaction was much better, Haru-kun."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Two Ships Passing in the Night

Naruto was bored, bored, bored.

Ero-Sennin had left him alone- AGAIN- and Naruto was left to his own devices for entertainment. Kami only knew when the pervert would come back, he had mentioned something about "meeting with a contact", but Naruto knew that that could mean any one of many things.

Occasionally, Ero-Sennin actually worked, but it seemed to be a rare thing.

Naruto thought about wandering by the bathhouses to see if his Sensei was on the ground unconscious outside again, but he didn't really feel like being associated with the old pervert anyway. The old man could take care of himself.

So instead he wandered the streets of some town in the Land of Vegetables aimlessly.

It was kind of nice, actually. No one here knew that he was a jinchuuriki, or a ninja for that matter. He kept his tools hidden when he was around civilians, so to them he just looked like any other kid.

Naruto had originally taken advantage of that to pull some really awesome pranks, but he'd discovered that playing pranks on civilians didn't feel quite so satisfying. They either got really scared, or could get very injured. So he'd decided to just use his pranks as traps around the hotel rooms they stayed in and hoped the Ero-Sennin would accidentally trip one.

He hadn't yet, but Naruto knew it was just a matter of time. He'd been working on a good one lately, involving his Sexy no Jutsu (with a different color hair and eyes, stupid Ero-Sennin caught on fast otherwise), a bucket of honey mixed with smoke tags, and copious amounts of glitter (of course).

Naruto grinned maniacally, startling more than a few of the civilians in his path. A vegetable vendor quietly and gently pushed his young daughter back into the doorway and shut it, coming back to the stall with a false smile.

Naruto didn't notice this, however, absorbed as he was in the idea of his teacher being covered in permanent marker and glitter, stating for all the world that he was "Princess Pervert".

Naruto stopped short, however, when he caught a glimpse of the back of a familiar head standing by the vegetable stall. '_That looks like Sasuke-bastard's hair'_, he thought quickly, and was about to leap and accost his former teammate when he remembered how well that worked out last time he thought he'd found Sasuke by his hair's duck tail.

That time, it had been a girl who'd had to cut her hair off because one of her classmates had put gum in it, and she'd pounded him so fiercely that he couldn't see straight. The time before that, it had actually been a duck he'd seen from a distance, and it wasn't alone.

Naruto's hand slid protectively to his nose to remind himself that the ducks hadn't actually managed to wrench it off his face, and groaned.

_'It's probably not the bastard anyway.'_ Naruto looked resignedly down at the ground and clenched his fists in frustration.

His stomach growled, and Naruto started at the sound coming from his own stomach.

"Time for dinner! 'Ttebayo!" Naruto cheered. He bowled headlong down the street in search of the ramen stand he'd found earlier that day for lunch, nearly knocking over a few people in the process.

Thirty feet away, Sasuke froze suddenly, holding a cherry tomato to his open mouth.

Once he had gotten his heartbeat back under control, he decided it might be for the best if he hurried to get the rest of the groceries instead of lingering at the vegetable stand. A few minutes later, he regretted that hasty decision and returned for more produce. He'd forgotten all about asparagus in his haste to escape the open streets for the safety of a Naruto-free hotel. Sasuke slipped through the streets much more carefully this time, sticking to the shadows and blending in with the crowds consciously. He could have sworn he'd actually heard the baka shrieking in the middle of the street, but when he finally managed to will his head to turn, Naruto was long gone.

The signs of his passing were there, though, people grumbling and picking up things the baka had obviously knocked right out of their hands as he barreled past them. Also there were bits of silver and pink glitter floating in the breeze, for some terrifying reason. That could only be Naruto.

Sasuke consciously did not grimace, keeping Sifu's lessons in mind as he walked back to the hotel. He didn't want to call attention to himself here, especially with Naruto and his disgrace of a teacher around.

The thought of being noticed, not to mention caught, by either of them truly rankled.

Sasuke balanced one of the bags of food on his hip, and unlocked the door to his hotel room with his free hand. He grabbed the bag haphazardly again and slid inside, letting the door slam shut behind him.

* * *

A loud slam caught Naruto's attention, and he poked his head outside the hotel room door to see what was going on. To his confusion, the hallway was entirely deserted, save for a lone grape that had fallen out of someone's grocery bags in front of a room three doors down.

Naruto shrugged, and shut his door, crossing the room dejectedly and flopping onto his bed. A moment later, the door opened and closed behind him, and Naruto jumped off the bed to accost his pervert of a mentor.

"Pervy Sage, you've been gone forever!" he shouted, pointing his finger.

Jiraiya blanched, and from the rosy tint of his cheeks Naruto could tell he was absolutely drunk.

"Whaassssa maadderr, Narutoooo?" Jiraiya boomed, and then hiccupped violently. "I dun suppose your sexy jutsu will be showing up tonight, huh?" He elbowed Naruto and winked suggestively, the gesture being effectively ruined when he hiccupped again and lost his footing, reeling slightly and leaning on Naruto.

"EW, ERO SENNIN!" Naruto shrieked, and shoved Jiraiya away from him. He stumbled backwards onto the bed, and evidently seemed to think that was a fantastic place to be, as he curled himself up on top of the sheets and grabbed a pillow in a manner it would have found offensive if it weren't an inanimate object.

"Ugh!" Naruto groaned loudly, grabbing a pillow off of his own bed and shoving it into his face to stifle his shouts of frustration. "When am I going to get a teacher that isn't a gross pervert?"

* * *

"Now, Sakura, I don't expect you to best Kakashi, but I am expecting you to be able to get a few hits in." Tsunade leaned back against a tree, and crossed her arms. "If this new sword style is as extraordinary as you and Kakashi claim, you should be able to accomplish that."

Sakura nodded firmly, and Kakashi lazily put Icha Icha Violence away into his side pouch, and gripped both hands on his wooden blade. Sakura dropped down into a defensive position, and watched Kakashi stare back at her through half-closed lids. They stood in that manner for a few moments, as Sakura desperately did not want to charge in and get her ass summarily handed to her in a spar that was supposed to showcase her new skills.

"Just start already, you two." Tsunade barked.

_'Just start it, we can kick his ass, chyaa!'_ Inner Sakura cheered. '_Uncle told us to set the pace, don't let that pervert set it for you!' _

True enough.

Sakura raced at Kakashi, swiping up and around to counter a block, her sword meeting Kakashi's. She looked up to see his lone eye glinting at her, and flinched knowingly even before he pulled his sword up and down quickly, and pushed her back onto her ass.

"Ugh…" she groaned, lifting herself up off the ground. She bit her lip and stared consideringly at Kakashi.

"Kakashi, only use moves from this style. You've got enough advantages over Sakura as it is." Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, and he blanched before nodding.

"Start again."

This time, Sakura had a new plan of attack. She slid forward, ducking to Kakashi's left (unfortunate man, always having to cover one eye), and sliced up and across at Kakashi's torso, which he blocked a little too slowly, as his sword was still pushed back into his stomach with a soft thud, and he grunted.

Sakura hadn't really thought that would work, anyway, and she grinned. While he was pinned slightly, she twisted her arms to slide her sword up, and pushed his down. This left his side entirely vulnerable, and she stepped in a little closer, wedging her foot in between his, separating his sword from his hands rather violently.

She could see Kakashi's mouth drop even under his mask, and grinned ferally.

"It may be best if you do not allow yourself to become disarmed in a swordfight, Kakashi sensei." Sakura piped with saccharine sweetness, as Kakashi's uncovered eye twitched.

To the side, Tsunade started laughing almost to the point of sickness. Kakashi gaped a little while Sakura smiled, as Tsunade continued to slide down the trunk of the tree. She slumped down on the ground, and wiped her eyes with a dainty hand, before catching Sakura's eyes and chucking again. "Again." Tsunade ordered, and leaned her head forward to watch. "Kakashi, try not to be an embarrassment this time. You make ANBU cry."

The next few times were much harder, as Kakashi learned very quickly and was somehow unwilling to be bested by a fifteen year old. Sakura did manage to get a few good hits in, but mostly struck glancing blows.

She was surprised that she was able to hold her own, frankly. Granted, she hadn't been utilizing Tsunade's strength techniques, but those were about as likely to shatter her sword as to help her cut cleanly. She certainly had an advantage by being trained by Uncle and practicing the katas longer, but Kakashi had decades of battle experience to fall back on.

His inability to cheat by using techniques he had already known in front of Tsunade's watchful eye was no doubt the only reason he didn't kick her ass. In a real fight, she would have been royally boned.

But this was still progress, as far as she was concerned. Even less than a year ago, she'd have had no hope of besting Kakashi, even in a restricted spar. So Sakura was going to relish every hit she got in, gleefully bruising his ribs and arms.

Tsunade watched cheerfully as Sakura rightfully bludgeoned her sensei upside the head with a grin Tsunade mentally likened to one of those demented-looking porcelain dolls. This had been well worth abandoning her paperwork to Shizune's capable attentions, she thought as she relaxed back into the tree trunk, humming blissfully to herself.

With a loud _thwack!_ Sakura's wooden sword hit Kakashi's again, but this time he was having none of it. He stepped and inserted his left foot on the inside of Sakura's left leg and swung it around, upending her onto her ass.

Sakura growled, but Tsunade had had enough amusement for one day. No sense in having to spend her whole afternoon patching up two twits, really. "Stop." She motioned with her hands, and Kakashi gleefully stepped back, putting a decent distance between himself and a very grumpy, dirt-covered Sakura. Sakura stood up and brushed herself off, glaring at Kakashi balefully, before turning back to Tsunade.

"You two are done for the day. Now both of you get out of my sight and cleaned up, you look terrible. Sakura?"

Sakura nodded shortly, and stepped forward. "Good job. You still have your shift later today at the hospital, I expect you to be there. The rest of the day is yours." With that, Tsunade stood gracefully and strode back to the Hokage Tower, daydreaming all the way of getting one up on those smug Rock nins .

* * *

Sasuke had acquired quite the entourage in the last few months. The girls and that one boy with the shaggy hair followed him doggedly in public, but Hideyoshi was always with him.

Hideyoshi was by far Sasuke's favorite companion (especially since most of his followers were actually unwelcome), and was with him most of the time. He was very intelligent, and well-suited to Sasuke's techniques, compensating for his weaknesses in mid-range combat and any potentially lethal openings in his taijutsu with impeccable timing. Though that was to be expected, after hours of practice on and off the training grounds. Now, when they walked through the streets, Hideyoshi wove protectively around Sasuke's feet, perfectly in sync with his steps.

Of course, not even Hideyoshi would be able to help Sasuke while he was using his firebending, being that fur was rather flammable.

And so, Iroh and Sasuke practiced firebending around noon every day, while Hideyoshi sprawled out happily on the warm grass a good distance away.

Sasuke's disposition had certainly improved in the time Iroh had known him, but having a constant companion had done his attitude wonders. He seemed a little more trusting and open, and wasn't nearly so tense.

Iroh was relieved to know that his initial assessment of the situation had held true, and that the haunting visit to the Uchiha compound had been so fruitful. He watched intently as Sasuke parried a blow from a shadow clone with his katana, forcing the blade up and away from its torso. This gave Hideyoshi an opening, and he shot up from between Sasuke's feet. He bit, tore, and scratched up the shadow clone's side, and Sasuke took advantage of its distraction to bring his blade down hard on the clone's shoulder, slicing it apart and dispelling the clone entirely.

Hideyoshi fell on his feet gracefully, and turned to Sasuke.

"That was good." Hideyoshi yawned, stretching out to rub his fluff-covered stomach on the grass.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm not done training yet for the day, are you giving up already?"

"It's really nice out, I want to nap. Besides, the other nin-cats think you're ready for a second summons. Why don't you call it?" Hideyoshi yawned, and flopped down on the ground, rolling around on his back.

"Really?" Sasuke crouched down and poked Hideyoshi's stomach with his finger. "And you would share with them? What if I like them better than you?"

One of the nin-cat's golden eyes opened slightly, glaring disdainfully into Sasuke's own. "You wouldn't."

Taunting Hideyoshi was actually kind of fun, Sasuke had to admit. Had Sasuke really been this stuffy? Sifu's ill-disguised giggles and pointed comments certainly indicated he had.

Then again, Hideyoshi was already almost double the size he had been when Sasuke had first summoned him, and was growing larger and stronger with every summoning. Sasuke wasn't entirely sure he wanted the ire of a man-sized cat directed at him, so he stayed silent and scratched behind his nin-cat's ears.

"Well, I do think that I might have a use for a nin-cat with good tracking skills, or one that is better suited for stealth, Hideyoshi." Hideyoshi momentarily stopped purring and rolled back onto his stomach, with his gaze fixed on Sasuke.

"Those things sound boring." Hideyoshi idly flexed his claws into the dirt. "But I know there are nin-cats like that." He lifted one of his paws delicately, indicating that Sasuke should accept it. Sasuke obligingly squeezed his paw lightly and set it back down on the ground, before returning to absently scratching behind Hideyoshi's ears. "I'll find one for you," Hideyoshi announced, as he quirked his tail to indicate that he would like to be petted, "it would reflect badly on me if you died because your other summons are miserably incompetent."

"How generous of you." Sasuke deadpanned as he moved his hands into his lap, and Hideyoshi nodded solemnly before cancelling his summons.

* * *

"So, are you my new kenjutsu instructor?" Sakura asked cautiously, mentally checking that she had actually arrived at the correct place and time Shizune had given her.

The purple-haired kunoichi on the other end of the clearing looked her up and down clinically, and inclined her head slightly.

"I am Yugao Uzuki, Shizune told me you needed help with basic kenjutsu to supplement something you've learned, is that accurate?"

Sakura nodded, and stepped into the training field gingerly. "I've been learning a sword style that's different, but Tsunade-shishou said I need to learn the basics to make it more usable."

'All right then, we'll start from the beginning." Yugao removed her sword from her hilt, and stood at a ready position.

"Follow me."

* * *

Sakura trained with Yugao for weeks, trying to learn the basics of kenjutsu. She had to admit, something about the movements didn't translate as well as she would hope. It was choppier and more rigid than the style that Uncle had taught her, it fought against her muscles instead of utilizing her momentum and the natural movements of her body to power the blows.

But she had learned one vital thing that Uncle would have never taught her.

Cheating like a ninja.

"Begin!" Tsunade chirped from the side, intent on watching another interesting training session. These were fast becoming her favorite event of the week, watching Sakura and Kakashi duel with practice swords. Kakashi had quickly closed the gap between his and Sakura's proficiency with the sword style, and Tsunade hadn't expected any less from the genius.

Sakura hadn't taken that lying down, however, and was more determined than ever to trounce her sensei. That hadn't really worked out in her favor, but it didn't stop the poor girl from trying.

Tsunade had to admit that she had really found a diamond in the rough when she picked up Sakura, the girl just had absolutely no interest in taking "no" for an answer.

Sakura waited patiently, and stepped to the side as Kakashi took a tentative swipe at her. For the first few minutes, Tsunade was actually supremely disappointed. This seemed more like a practice duel between two contemplative old men than her feisty apprentice and the famed Copy Nin.

Sakura grinned inwardly, calmly deflecting a probing blow from Kakashi. He obviously knew she was planning something, which is why he wasn't getting in close. In their other bouts, she had made most of the aggressive moves, and forced him to keep up with her. This time, she was lying in wait, which really seemed to throw him off.

She took a step back, and Kakashi hesitantly took a half-step towards her, counting on his extended reach to keep her on the defensive. Sakura parried another blow, and swiftly sent a soft hit in Kakashi's direction. He deflected it easily, and stepped to her right, evidently hoping to take advantage of the fact that she was right handed and wouldn't be able to swing at him easily.

That was good. '_One more step and we get him, chyaa!'_ Inner Sakura cheered, pumping her fist in the air victoriously. _'Kakashi-sensei won't know what hit him!'_

Tsunade rolled a piece of grass between her fingers when a shadow fell over her.

"Hello, Shizune." Tsunade leaned back against her tree, and extended an open hand, into which Shizune placed a glass of water.

"How is her training going?" Shizune watched their bout passively, taking a sip of her own water before placing a tray on an even patch of ground. Kakashi took another step to Sakura's right, closing a bit of the distance between them and forcing her to use only awkward, outward stroked to defend herself.

Tsunade opened her mouth, when Sakura took a sudden step forward and wrapped her ankle around Kakashi's left leg, pinning him in place as she hip-checked him directly in the groin.

"Better, now." Tsunade grinned, as Sakura smirked at her sensei groaning on the ground, wooden katana entirely forgotten on the grass. "Did Yugao teach her that?"

"No." Shizune was obviously still in the transitioning stage between utter shock and laughing on the ground. "I think that's a Sakura original."

* * *

OMAKE TIME

"What in the Kami's name was that." Hideyoshi stated flatly, eyeing the trail of scorch marks and flaming grass stemming from Sasuke.

"That was called firebending, Hideyoshi." Iroh grinned warmly at the wary Bengal. Hideyoshi blinked slowly, and turned back to Sasuke. He narrowed his eyes, and Sasuke bit his lip somewhat nervously, afraid of his summon's reaction.

"I'm still going to work with you, but if you light my fur on fire, I will personally ensure that every cat on the continent will be out for your blood." Hideyoshi elegantly rose up off of his haunches, and strutted back to the house.

Sasuke stared dumbly at the cat's retreating form, then looked back to Iroh.

"He was entirely serious, wasn't he?"

Iroh could only nod blankly back at his apprentice, warily watching the Bengal saunter through the front door. "But now I have to wonder what he would look like bald." Sasuke mused, taking a seat on the ground next to Iroh.

"I do not think it would be worth the price you would pay for the privilege, Sasuke."


	12. Chapter 12

"So why are we going to the Land of Wind?" Sasuke griped, readjusting the strap of the bag slung over his shoulder and looking over to Sifu. "You know there are shinobi there, right? And their new leader is actually someone I've met before. This sounds like a horrendous idea."

Sifu half-shrugged helplessly, and turned to meet Sasuke's gaze.

"I suppose it is a very good thing you had that growth spurt then, Haru-kun?" Sifu offered, and Sasuke grunted and rolled his eyes.

At least the growth spurt was true. He would be turning sixteen very soon, and his body had evidently decided that it needed to make up for all the time he hadn't changed at all. His shoulders had gotten broader, and he was quite a bit taller. He felt slightly overstretched, but Sifu had assured him that soon his body would even out again. Until then, Sasuke had to deal with the abrupt changes from when they had arrived in the Land of Vegetables. They'd stayed there for months, gathering information and training in an area outside of town, until the new Hokage sent Sifu a new mission.

"In any case, you are a very different young man now than you were when you last met, I am sure." Sifu continued, and Sasuke blankly stared forward at the road. That was true, too. He'd not only grown, but he was sure his chakra signature had altered dramatically after he'd been gifted with firebending. He couldn't use any outside techniques that weren't fire-based (luckily, he hadn't had many of those at all), and he just felt like a different person in general. The solutions to his problems were much more obvious from this distance, and life seemed much less complicated.

"All the same, I think it might be best if we took a few precautions before entering the Land of Wind. What do you think, Haru-kun?" Sifu eyed his hair apologetically, and Sasuke frowned.

Sasuke ran his fingers quickly through his entirely-too-distinctive haircut and nodded. "I think a change might be in order, I'm getting sick of my hair being in my face."

That wasn't true at all. He knew it was too distinctive and that this had been a long time coming, but it had been unappealing to get rid of the last vestige of his former life. Burning his clothes with the Uchiha symbol had been particularly painful, but Sasuke understood the necessity.

He wasn't sure that Gaara would recognize or remember him if they were to meet, but it would be best to fully trust his shishou in this regard. Especially since Sifu was willing to let him accompany him in his meetings with the Kazekage. It would be an invaluable experience, and a first sign of how far he had come. If Gaara did not recognize him, then he would likely be able to fool most other acquaintances. Gaara had been fixated on him during the Chuunin exams, and was uncannily intelligent.

Not to mention the rather extreme vote of confidence from his shishou in allowing him to observe such an important meeting.

So if Sasuke needed to cut his hair and find new clothes, he'd gladly burn his whole wardrobe and hack at his hair with a kunai. Unfortunately, Sifu would find that haphazard arrangement wholly unsatisfactory. So they were going to have to find…

**A stylist.**

Sasuke shuddered involuntarily as Sifu hummed lightly, so happy he was almost skipping.

"We should be able to stop in that next town up the road in the Land of Wind, to remedy our appearances before we meet with the Kazekage. It would not do to dishonor the Hokage by appearing unkempt."

If Sasuke didn't know Sifu so well, he would wonder if Sifu just really wanted another excuse to shop. As it was, he was absolutely certain that was the case.

But it was true, he noted with slight disdain as he brought his hands up to his face. The sleeves fell awkwardly short of their intended length, indicating just how much he had grown since Sifu had brought these clothes back for him. His hands were dirty and calloused from hours of training and being (lovingly?) mauled by his cat summons.

Frankly, he had no business appearing in a ramen stall looking the way he did.

"First, we will clean ourselves up properly and get our hair cut." Sifu grinned, "Then, we will find new, more suitable clothes, some delicious dinner, and a place to stay. I am sure that the Land of Wind will offer us many new sights and interests to occupy ourselves for the duration of our stay."

* * *

"Well, they have a large amount of sand." Sifu offered helpfully, as Sasuke glared out at the seemingly endless desert outside of town through the stylist's window. "Isn't that interesting? I would suppose they have much material for artisan glass blowing. Perhaps you would like to try your hand at that, Haru-kun?"

Sasuke's eye twitched, as the hair stylist expertly cut another long section of hair off and it fell sadly to the floor. Iroh had suggested a style that would be closer to his head, much like Naruto's or Gaara's in fact. It was common enough to seem unremarkable, but easily well-kept to appear professional.

Sasuke took comfort in closing his eyes and dreaming of the day when he could have his own haircut back, once his own name and life were an asset and not a liability. That day was coming soon, he reassured himself, as his head grew lighter and lighter with every snip of the scissors. Before he knew it, the stylist was done, and brushed all the extra hair off. She shooed him out of the chair with the apron she swiftly snatched off of him, and Sasuke retreated to the front of the shop and waited as Sifu received much the same treatment. To his surprise, underneath the bushy beard and eyebrows, Sifu appeared much more authoritative and genteel.

Evidently Tsunade-sama had elected not to use Sifu's usual "helpful elderly man" approach in favor of a more conventional show of power. Sifu still had a kindness in his eyes, but his natural features lent themselves more to command. Sasuke could definitely understand why Sifu had elected to grow out his facial hair to soften some of his more hardened features. Sifu looked almost as dangerous as he actually was without it.

Sasuke ended up warily following Sifu through the city streets, carrying bag upon bag of new clothes. He still felt filthy and awkward. Sasuke had managed to not take his new height into consideration multiple times, and his forehead had paid the price. He rubbed at it grumpily with his free hand, distantly noting that his shishou had disappeared into another shop. Sasuke trudged along behind him, to patiently endure being examined by both Sifu and a helpful shopkeep for some better-fitting clothes.

Finally, Sifu had finished shopping (more because Sasuke had run out of space on his arms for bags than anything else), and they headed for a hotel. Sasuke dropped the bags on the floor by his bed, and was very tempted to just fall on top of the covers and pass out, but he felt so disgusting that he knew he needed to shower before anything else. He looked over to his shishou imploringly, and Sifu chuckled and tilted his head towards the bathroom. "Of course, you take a shower, I will place an outfit on your bed for you. You look exhausted, Haru-kun."

"Thank you, Uncle," Sasuke groaned out tiredly, as he shuffled determinedly into the bathroom and turned on the blessed hot water.

"Do not take too long, Haru-kun, there are restrictions on water consumption here, as you will remember." Sasuke nodded, though Sifu could not see him behind the door.

Oh, and did the water feel wonderful. Sasuke hummed to himself as he scrubbed quickly, rubbing his skin almost raw. He hadn't felt clean in the week since they had left their hotel in the Land of Vegetables, and he was not about to miss the opportunity. Of course, he was sure he would feel just as disgusting before he reached Suna, but that was a problem he would have to deal with later.

That, or firebend the whole sandy country into smooth glass.

Sasuke considered it for a moment, before concluding that it would take more time and energy for him than it would save. And Gaara would probably be less than pleased, even if it would be substantially faster and more fun to skate from village to village on his socks.

After his shower, he absentmindedly dressed into his sleeping clothes and barely made it to his bed, smiling as his head hit the pillow. The filthy sand could wait until tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura sighed tiredly, as she opened yet another box and peered inside. As she had suspected, they were filled with papers. The musty smell of ancient books and dust wafted up to her nose, and she sneezed delicately, waving her hands in front of her face to fan the dust motes away.

The Sandaime had evidently never heard of a paper shredder in his life, and had rarely organized his personal documents in the years after the Kyuubi attack. As such, when Tsunade had taken office, they had had to box up all the papers he had left and deal only with the immediate issues initially.

After they had put out the major fires, Tsunade-sama had put forth a standing order to pull out the boxes of documents in reverse order, the assumption being that anything ten years old likely wouldn't have that much significance on their daily lives.

Of course, most of the documents had been utterly useless. There were scores of receipts for Ichiraku (probably from taking Naruto to lunch, Sakura had thought fondly), financial accounts, and general day-to-day musings from the Sandaime.

Of the scores of duties Tsunade-sama had her complete, this was actually Sakura's favorite. It was interesting, to say the least, to be able to peer into the mind of a powerful and deceased Kage. Tsunade-sama hated it, but for the same reasons Sakura relished the chore. Sakura supposed it would be stressful for Tsunade-sama to read into her former sensei's most private thoughts, especially as Tsunade made such a constant appearance in them. He'd been so confident that Tsunade would return, so hopeful…

Sakura knew that it felt like a vice around Tsunade-sama's heart to read it. She'd only returned after he was dead, and he never knew that she ever came back at all. He just had faith that she would come back, just like he had faith that Orochimaru would find his way. Sakura was exceptionally glad that he hadn't been able to write his musings on that particular betrayal. She wasn't sure she'd be able to stomach it. Despite never having known him well in life, at this point she couldn't help but feel she knew the previous Hokage as well as she did her parents. Possibly more—his philosophies, hopes, and most bitter regrets were all discernable in these files. He'd held this office for most of his life.

Of course, if he had survived to write about that betrayal, things would be very different in Konoha. There was no point in musing on what might have been.

Sakura bit her lip as she took out the first piece of paper in a new box. It was yet another bank statement for Naruto's inheritance. Tsunade had been absolutely mystified that the Hokage had been managing it himself, and had turned over handling to her office. Of course, Naruto was out of Konoha for now, but when he returned, it would be handed over to his control. Perhaps the Sandaime just hadn't gotten around to it—Naruto had been old enough to be responsible for his own money.

'_To be fair,_' she mused, '_I could see why someone who cared about him deeply would feel a bit wary about giving twelve-year old Naruto access to this much money._' There was a distinct possibility that he might have built a house out of instant ramen and optimism.

One of the odd things she kept noticing was the way that mentions of the council of Elders and Danzo-sama changed at some point. In older, yellowed papers, they were at almost every meeting, and private jokes were referenced, as well as their opinions. In anything remotely recent, any mentions were minimal and had a strange tone of hostility.

Curious, Sakura started keeping track of the latest dates that had the positive portrayals, and the earliest dates of the somewhat hostile references to the trio of powerful village elders. Something strange must have happened to change his opinion of them all at about the same time. But she just couldn't find what it was. It was almost like some of the files were missing.

_'Is that even possible?'_ Sakura frowned, putting away the papers she'd been looking at. She was sure that she hadn't left anything back in the office, although it was possible that it was out of order. The only person who could have removed the missing files without her knowledge would be Tsunade… or someone from the previous administration. Probably the Sandaime himself, actually.

That was a curious thought. Why would he have done such a thing?

_'Well_,' her mind supplied, '_Maybe the information removed is highly sensitive?'_

So sensitive that he couldn't trust his own office with it? Now that was strange. If it was that important, it shouldn't have been recorded in the first place. The fact that he had written anything down indicated that at the time it hadn't been highly sensitive information. But it had become so after the fact, and it was all related to three of the most respected people in the village.

How curious. That sounded like a fiasco of some sort—either one that had happened at the time, or one waiting in the future that might come and bite Tsunade-sama in the ass. Sakura frowned. Maybe… just to be safe… she should note the oddity to Tsunade-sama. What could it hurt? At least she'd know that something strange had happened.

Maybe the Hokage could track down the missing information. It wasn't like Sakura was party to all available information, so there could well be some sort of way for the Sandaime to leave information for a future successor. He'd been an uncommonly intelligent man, after all. Surely the Professor would think of something like that.

* * *

"Thank you for coming to these negotiations," Gaara rasped, "I trust you have found your accommodations to your liking?"

Sasuke resisted the inhuman urge to scream that he was reasonably sure that this country was in fact the colon of the world, and instead smiled politely as Sifu engaged in pleasantries. A more socially apt person might have noticed that it looked pained, but Gaara looked pleased and shuffled the papers in front of him.

Sasuke cautiously re-examined the conference room they were occupying. There were few windows, and the circular table they were seated at was obviously meant for larger gatherings. This was likely where they held council meetings, and Gaara was naturally occupying his usual seat at the back of the room.

This room, like all the others in this Kami-forsaken hole, was sand-colored. Gaara fit right in here, he supposed, but he couldn't imagine anyone else being so comfortable in the blankness of it all. There were no decorations, save for a few curtains to cover the windows, and a large (and nearly dead) potted fern in the corner. This was probably some well-meaning attempt to make the room less uncomfortable for everyone else not being conveniently used for demon storage.

Unfortunately, the fact that the plant had clearly seen better days was actually more off-putting than not having it there in the first place. Gaara's obviously practiced and awkward smiles weren't helping matters, either.

The next few hours were certainly educational. Sifu practically danced verbal circles around Gaara, negotiating border patrols, contracts, and trading agreements. The poor Kazekage didn't even know he'd been hopelessly outmaneuvered, but then, that was the point.

'_Maybe I should call the ANBU,'_ Sasuke thought somewhat wryly, _'and tell them there's an old man beating a child in here.'_

These negotiations weren't really that important. Sasuke knew that the reason Sifu was being so relentless was purely for his benefit. This wasn't even really the reason that they were here, to be honest. These negotiations were non-critical things that could have been easily handled by a semi-conscious chuunin, and hardly required the personal attention of someone like Sifu. No. The real reason they were here was to observe what was really going on in Sand.

Unsurprisingly, Tsunade-sama was incredibly skeptical of both Suna's intentions and level of competency. The only reason they'd surrendered was because their invasion had failed, regardless of whether Orochimaru had really been pulling the strings or not. Konoha was playing nice, to be sure, but the Hokage had her doubts about Suna and their fifteen-year-old Kage.

So Sifu and Sasuke politely smiled their way through the meeting, as an oblivious Gaara signed all the papers and handed them to Sifu to be sent to Tsunade for ultimate approval.

"Thank you for your personal attention on these matters, Lord Kazekage." Sifu and Sasuke bowed respectfully, and Gaara nodded thoughtfully in return. "We will send these to the Hokage for review immediately." With that, they calmly but swiftly made their way out of the building.

Sasuke was ridiculously pleased with himself. Gaara evidently hadn't noted who he was at all. They had talked and exchanged various social niceties, and Gaara hadn't once made mention of his real identity. If his disguise was really that convincing, he might be able to accompany his shishou more often for information gathering, instead of touring "the finest hotel rooms in the Elemental Nations."

"Did you learn anything?" Sifu asked in an evaluating manner as he slipped the papers into a pocket for safekeeping.

Sasuke nodded and smirked before opening the door for Sifu to go inside their hotel room.

"I learned not to ever negotiate with you."

Sifu smiled, amused, as he stepped into the room. "You will learn in good time." Sifu smiled pleasantly. "And so will he."

Sasuke hoped so. Seeing Tsunade-sama and Sifu engaged in a verbal battle would be extremely educational (and incredibly entertaining), but she would certainly recognize him. Not that Gaara had been ill-equipped for the task at hand, to be fair. He was very intelligent and would likely improve quickly to cover any weaknesses he had shown today. However, Gaara just lacked the experience that people like Sifu and the Hokage had.

Honestly, Sifu had probably done Gaara a favor by being so brutal in an otherwise unremarkable negotiation. Suna wouldn't be hurt by anything they had agreed to, and Gaara would learn quickly that some of the things he had ultimately agreed to were less than ideal. All of Sifu's information had stated that he was very adept at picking out patterns, and this would just be another problem for him to solve.

Sasuke rather liked his own position best. He was allowed to observe without having to make those decisions, and absolved of any fallout. Someday, he might like to be in one of those chairs, but he was glad that today was not that day.

* * *

ABOUT A YEAR EARLIER:

Itachi stared down at his target, who was moving alone through the crowded streets. Luckily, he had left his companion back in the hotel room. Itachi moved quickly to intercept him, and cast a genjutsu so that no one around them would see who they really were or hear what they were saying.

"Jiraiya."

To his credit, the man in question did not look disturbed at all to find an S -ranked ninja staring him in the face, and in fact his body lost some obvious tension.

"Itachi, to what do I owe the pleasure? Is there something I need to know about Akatsuki?" Jiraiya folded his arms over his chest and took a slightly commanding stance.

"No" Itachi grunted. "Akatsuki is not the reason for this particular visit."

Jiraiya's face contorted in confusion. "Then why are you here?"

"My brother. No one has seen him for over a year, since Orochimaru was defeated."

Jiraiya's face lost all color, and he took a quick step back. "Orochimaru is dead?"

Itachi felt his head tilt to the side, like one of his crows. "You didn't know."

"No" Jiraiya sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. "We had no idea. We heard about some possible scuffles in Sound, but nothing since. I thought he might just be lying low, I've never been able to get an agent into Sound."

"Sasuke left the village for Orochimaru to teach him, and I have been informed that Orochimaru has been dead for over a year." Itachi had hoped that he would be able to obtain information on Sasuke's whereabouts from Jiraiya, but he hadn't even known his own teammate had died. He was quickly running out of options.

"What sources do you have?"

"Kabuto and Orochimaru's personal bodyguards. They came to me, seeking the protection of the Akatsuki".

Jiraiya scoffed. "Well, that was a mistake," he said in an ironic tone.

Itachi nodded curtly. It had been a rather grievous error in judgment. It was almost statistically unlikely that they would go to the one spy in Akatsuki for protection, but there it was. Perhaps it had just been that it was easiest to track down Itachi and Kisame. Reports of a giant land shark tended to garner attention, even among those who didn't recognize the Akatsuki cloak.

"They stated that Orochimaru had taken Sasuke to a remote village for… training… and neither of them returned. They were certain that Orochimaru was dead, as they had located small evidence of his burnt remains. I disposed of Kabuto and the Sound Four and investigated the village. No one in the village that survived had any clue of what happened, except for Orochimaru talking to someone and then they saw a large flash of light. No one saw what happened to Sasuke."

Itachi examined Jiraiya's reactions to his words. He hadn't known, that much was obvious. He was genuinely shocked that his former teammate was deceased.

"I suppose that's one less thing to worry about if Orochimaru is dead. Do you have any leads at all as to who defeated Orochimaru?" Jiraiya stood with his arms crossing his chest and bit his lip.

"No." Itachi admitted. The considerable worry he had been feeling was doubled in Jiraiya's expression.

"It would take someone very powerful to kill Orochimaru and walk away." Jiraiya tightened his arms on his chest, as if to provide himself some small reassurance. "Not very many people are capable of that. In fact, I can think of less than ten people that have that kind of power."

Itachi, who was definitely one of those people, nodded curtly in agreement. "So what would you like me to do?"

* * *

Hi, incredibly interesting and good-looking people who are reading this! Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you enjoy it! I enjoy hearing back from you, so if you have any opinions or thoughts, I would love it if you would share them with me.

Thank you!


	13. Chapter 13

Sasuke lay sprawled out on his oversized towel on the hot midday sand, silently cursing the horrid filthy sand and everyone on it while trying to calm his nerves with a sun nap. Sifu had kicked him out of the diplomat's suite earlier, as evidently being unable to actually train was making Sasuke "a rather unpleasant companion." For Sifu, that was some rather extreme language that indicated he also was affected by their sorry location.

Truth be told, Suna was an incredibly boring place. Other than the fact that Gaara was obviously cleaning house (unsurprising, since *somehow* the death and replacement of the previous Kazekage with a skin-peeling lunatic went entirely unnoticed), things in Suna were painfully average. For Sand, anyway.

There were obviously not enough ninja for a comprehensive force, and probably hadn't been even before their ill-advised attack on Konoha. Sasuke could sense that they had been desperate, it was obvious in the way that the wary villagers and ninja alike gazed at Gaara with a complicated mixture of trepidation and hope. Sasuke had every confidence that Gaara would be a capable Kazekage, but it had to be daunting to be viewed as his village's best hope at such a young age. And Gaara had been absolutely mad not very long ago at all…

Though, with the information provided to himself and Sifu, he could certainly understand why. Gaara had tried to tell him at the Chuunin Exams, but Sasuke had been more absorbed in the sheer amount of power the other boy wielded that he could barely register the words at all. Gaara's life had been absolutely miserable, too, but he had somehow changed his outlook and was presumably hardly killing anyone at all, being that the population was at a steady rate and Sasuke had never found bloody sand anywhere in the village.

In fact, as Temari had been lamenting earlier that day when she came in to bring more paperwork, Gaara hadn't even been able to hardly leave the village. Sand had been on the brink of catastrophe, and Gaara was attempting to coax it back from the edge like it was a dangerous animal.

Sasuke hated to admit it, but the baka evidently had had a profound effect on the Kazekage. It was almost inconceivable that Naruto actually had any powers of persuasion to speak of, but evidently bludgeoning the enemy over the head with his ideology yielded impressive results. Sasuke didn't prefer that particular method (and he didn't think he had the relentless optimism to pull it off), but if that was what worked for Naruto, so be it.

Naruto still wouldn't be the best choice for Hokage, no matter how much enthusiasm he had for the role. Kage work appeared to mostly consist of trying to not drown in an endless ocean of paperwork and bureaucratic processes, with occasional breathers for attempted assassinations by other nations. And the retirement package was evidently horrendous.

Sasuke clenched his eyes shut as a shadow fell over his face, and scrunched his nose. Then he felt another few grains of sand under his shirt, and convulsed to convince it to take up residence literally anywhere else. "Stupid sand gets _everywhere_," he muttered under his breath, and was startled to hear breathy laughter above him.

"Everywhere, you say? Do you think you might need some help getting it off?"

He opened his eyes cautiously to see Temari standing above him, looking down at him like he was a box full of fine imported chocolates. And… had she been flirting?

She couldn't have been. She had been somewhat interested in garnering his attention since they'd come to Suna, but Sasuke figured that was more because he was probably the only boy who wouldn't actually bury themselves in the sand when she appeared. She was actually quite striking, but she was also terrifying. At least she seemed to be buying his disguise. He had realized that "Haru" wouldn't know exactly how deadly she was, and had resolved to behave accordingly.

She had never been the Suna sibling that terrified him most, anyway. It was easier to smile and let her comments wash over him than sit across a table from a boy that had attempted to wear Sasuke's intestines like a particularly garish scarf. Despite all that, it was Kankuro that scared the shit out Sasuke. There was obviously something wrong with that kid.

"No," Sasuke drawled purposefully, "I can get it off on my own." He watched Temari's face carefully, to evaluate her expression for any signs of disgust.

Instead, she appeared entirely too interested. Sasuke realized all too late that the wordplay had been a disastrous miscalculation.

"Well," Temari purred, sitting down far too close to him on _his_ towel and eyeing him up and down, "there is a rather short supply of water here in Suna. We should all do our best to conserve it, yes? Two people taking separate showers is just such a _waste_."

Oh. Kami. Sifu had not prepared him for this.

"I… like to live dangerously?" Sasuke attempted, but that only served to further pique Temari's interest.

She leaned in a little closer, and Sasuke still couldn't tell how much of this was a calculated attempt to make him uncomfortable and how much was genuine interest. The worst part was, he couldn't escape and risk diplomatic tensions with Suna. That would be disastrous all around, especially once Suna described the boy who had managed to offend them.

Actually, no. The worst part was, when he would try to explain just what was so awful about being flirted with by a pretty girl, Sifu would probably laugh so hard that the ANBU would tell them to stop terrifying the general populace.

Sasuke really hated this place.

Then again, Sifu had prepared him for any social situation, really, as long as Sasuke didn't panic too much and entirely forget how to interact with other human beings again. The Sifu charm thing worked with an extraordinary success rate.

"How dangerously do you like to live?" Temari quirked her lips suggestively.

Sasuke steeled himself and rolled onto his side, supporting his head in his hand with his bicep deceptively resting on the ground.. He smirked, and cocked his head, ruffling his own hair lightly to shake the sand out, which lifted his shirt to display more of his stomach. Temari's eyes flicked over his exposed skin, and he stretched his grin out a bit more.

"Would you like to go with me to dinner?"

* * *

Temari was really enjoying herself.

Oh, the boy with the pretty onyx eyes had been some magnificent eye candy as he was, but she had to admit it was much more satisfying to parade her boy trophy around Suna on a date.

His looks had initially caught her eye, of course, but what she liked most about him was that he didn't cower from her like the spineless boys from her own country. Either he didn't have the sense (which was incredibly improbable), he didn't care (which was extraordinarily hot, in that rebel-without-a-cause kind of way), or he was confident enough that he wasn't worried (again, hot).

And now she'd get to rub it all in Kankuro's face. Even Gaara would probably be impressed. This Haru-kun was very much up her alley, with the smooth gait and swoonworthy abs. Not to mention the stoic act and subtle double entendres. Maybe it was this particular model, but perhaps she should shop from Konoha more often, if this was what they had in stock?

Temari resolved to "volunteer" for the next diplomatic mission to the Land of Fire, and take in the sights.

"What would you like to eat?" Haru-kun asked charmingly, with a half-cocked smile that made Temari want to put a sign on him and parade him around Suna again, doing a pointed circle around the area that those irritating, preening pseudo-kunoichi from her village frequented. Ha! Too 'manly' and 'terrifying beyond reason' to ever have a boyfriend, her ass! She had always known, deep, deep down, that she was far better than the girls who had told her that. Temari was both a _real_ kunoichi and in possession of a really cute boy. That was twice as good as anything they could claim.

She'd have to inform poor witless Haru later that he had been graced with the enviable position of being her first boyfriend.

Obviously, he'd be grateful anyway. Temari was beautiful, fantastic, and one hell of a ninja. He was sure to understand that there was a veritable army of boys willing to lose any number of limbs for his position. If he didn't, she would cut off his limbs.

Temari grinned ferally, and Haru-kun cocked a brow in interest. "Think of anything interesting?" he drawled again, offered his arm to her which she took in the most sultry manner she could think of, wrapping her arm delicately around his and batting her eyelashes prettily.

"Oh, yes, Haru-kun. Very interesting." She purred again, and he still looked amused.

"I think you should take me to somewhere nice, don't you?" Haru-kun quirked his brows, but didn't otherwise move.

"Anywhere in particular you would like to go?" Haru-kun certainly had been trained by that negotiator from Konoha, Temari noted interestedly, not a muscle in his face moved when he didn't want it to. Oh, Temari could get used to having a toy like this. He would have a million-and-one uses.

"I might have someplace in mind." Temari smirked inwardly, thinking of just how delicious those false kunoichi's looks of utter shock would be when she strolled into the nicest restaurant in Suna with Haru-kun on her arm.

* * *

Sasuke had to admit that his first date had not been nearly as traumatizing as he had feared. Temari's passion was in her work, and there they had a common interest. Of course, he wasn't entirely sold on the "summoning weasels" thing, it gave him an uncontrollable twitch in his eye every time he heard the word, but no one said he had to marry the woman.

They'd taken in a surprisingly fancy dinner in a restaurant that somehow didn't have any sand in it, and then Temari had insisted on showing him around Suna. He didn't really have any interest in viewing Suna's overly optimistically labelled "sights" again, but he was actually somewhat enjoying himself, so he didn't protest.

Then he'd walked her back to her home, and left as soon as she grinned and closed the door behind her.

All in all, it had been a very successful social interaction. Sasuke would have preferred a spar, but it would likely have been misinterpreted either as an inappropriate come-on or a threat, so he decided to take it for what it was. Sifu would probably be proud that he'd refrained from insulting anyone for such a long period of time, if nothing else.

Temari had been mean enough for the both of them.

Sasuke wasn't entirely sure what those kunoichi had done to earn so much of her ire, but it was very amusing to watch.

He slid into the darkened ambassador's suite, taking care to make as little noise as possible. Poor Sifu could be sleeping, and it would be rude for Sasuke to wake him.

"How was your date?" Sifu asked amusedly from the doorway to his bedroom, and Sasuke jerked back, almost tripping on his own feet in surprise.

"It was… good, I guess." Sasuke said cautiously, re-applying his normal veneer of detached calm.

"The Kazekage was most concerned for the welfare of his sibling, I did reassure him that you have the most honorable of intentions." Iroh teased lightly, before closing the door to his bedroom and clicking off the light.

Sasuke gaped at the closed door for a moment, then turned to his own bedroom and followed suit.

'_He intentionally left me to her mercy?'_

He felt surprisingly resentful.

* * *

Tenten sighed tiredly while Lee and Gai participated in yet another rainbow-tinted hug a safe distance away. The trip through the Land of Wind had been long and tiring, but relatively uneventful. She'd never complain about getting work, but she wouldn't lose any sleep at night if she had less missions going around Suna. It was a dry kind of hot here, and the lack of water was making her whole team rather fragrant.

Even Lee and Gai seemed to be affected, prone to more strange outbursts than usual. Tenten doubted that Neji would have noticed a difference, but Lee and Gai weren't actually always doing that, they spent too much time training to have time to make "Dynamic Entries!" everywhere.

After a long and arduous hour making camp (absolutely everyone was on their last nerve, evidently), Tenten decided to go for a walk to clear her thoughts and just get a little space. It would be a better idea than accidentally snapping on any of her teammates and putting a beatdown on them.

'The desert is surprisingly cold at night,' Tenten thought, pulling her arms close to her torso and rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

The only really nice thing about the desert was that she could see for miles. Other than someone hiding in the sand, it wasn't a great place for ninja. Your presence was broadcast to everyone, especially with a campfire at night.

But her team would be all right, Tenten knew, and the outskirts of Suna were actually relatively safe.

Tenten squinted, as a large form appearing to be laying on a sand dune not too far away from her. It didn't seem dangerous, most likely an animal or just a piece of debris, but she was curious. What kind of animal would be out here, anyway?

She picked up her pace and quietly rushed forward, surprised that the form was in fact a large, sleeping cat of some sort.

Tenten was rather confused. There was no water for miles, and no one around. Where was this animal from?

Before she could turn around, it opened a golden eye and inspected her lazily even from the vast distance between them.

Tenten froze. This had been a terrible idea. She still had more than enough distance to use her weapons scrolls, and she was more than equipped enough to tangle with a wild animal, but this cat still triggered a more primal response. Now it was likely she was going to have to kill the poor thing, when she just should have left it alone in the first place.

"Greetings, human."

What the crap.

"Hello," said Tenten meekly, wondering where this cat's summoner was. She hadn't sensed any ninja in the area, but she didn't think that summons usually strayed very far from their summoner.

"I am Hideyoshi, human. And you are…?" It rose off its stomach and stretched, keeping one golden eye on her all the while.

"Tenten. My apologies, I haven't met many summons before. Or at least, not this close."

This one seemed to have a superiority complex that would have put the combined Hyuuga clan to shame. Hideyoshi the nin-cat looked down at her over his nose and sniffed. Tenten suddenly remembered exactly how long she hadn't been able to take a shower and tried not to squirm in shame.

"You have never met one of my stature, either, I assume."

She hadn't, but that wasn't what was so strange about this encounter, really.

"You seem much less odious than the other filth-people. I will allow you to pet me."

Tenten blanched, but quickly recovered. This nin-cat was obviously easily offended, and she'd rather get out of this encounter with minimal injuries.

"Of… course…" she came closer and proffered her hand, petting his (admittedly very soft) fur for a few minutes. He started to purr, and Tenten suffocated the giggle that tried to rise out of her throat, moving her hands deftly to scratch under his chin and behind his ears, since her regular cat had always enjoyed that.

He purred even louder, then, and when she stopped, he opened his golden eyes again and viewed her with a little less disdain.

Hideyoshi put out his paw and touched her own hair, and grimaced (she didn't think cats could do that).

"You'll do." Hideyoshi proclaimed, sounding rather satisfied with himself. "You are going to need to make sure your fur is softer, however."

She didn't even want to know what for. "I'll… work on that," Tenten deadpanned, but Hideyoshi predictably did not notice her intent.

"You do that. I'll be going now, human, you should be grateful that you caught my attention."

Then he poofed away, evidently having unsummoned himself, and Tenten stared blankly at the spot that used to contain about two grown men's worth of cat.

"Okaaay then."

It wasn't even the weirdest thing that had happened to her today, really.

Tenten slowly turned back in the direction of her campsite and stiffly shuffled away, intent on the relative normalcy of Gai, Lee, and Neji.

* * *

"She even has proper ears" Hideyoshi informed him primly. "She is the most suitable of the human females I have seen."

"She scratched behind your ears, didn't she," Sasuke said flatly, as Hideyoshi gloated.

"Don't be jealous, she might scratch behind your ears as well. After all, you just cannot be as hopeless with human females as you appear. Maybe she'll take pity on you and your awful coarse fur." He sneered. "Pardon, I mean 'hair'". He'd been corrected before.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned away from Hideyoshi.

"She's pretty?" Hideyoshi offered hopefully, flopping over to rub his back on the grass.

"Oh, yeah?" Sasuke turned back and viewed his summons skeptically. "What's her name?"

The nincat stilled in contemplation, curling onto his side and clawing the air thoughtfully. "Tenten?" Hideyoshi puzzled, and Sasuke cocked his head to the side. Wasn't that the name of the kunoichi on that weirdo Lee's team? He wasn't sure what she looked like, though. At the time, she hadn't seemed that interesting. Maybe she was pretty, he didn't recall thinking anything about her at all, but he'd been a bit preoccupied at the time. In any case, he certainly hadn't really been interested in girls at that age, so if all he could recall about her was not finding her irritating, that was probably a good sign. Girls like Ino and Sakura had stuck out in his mind, but likely not for the reasons they'd like. Then again, their obsessive stalking wasn't ever going to leave a good impression.

Sasuke shrugged and gave Hideyoshi a scratch behind the ears. It certainly wouldn't hurt to reward him, after all.

"Should I get her for you?" Hideyoshi asked, obviously trying to hide some excitement. He rolled over onto his tummy, and then sat up to push his head into Sasuke's hand.

"Uhh, no…" Sasuke stumbled, trying desperately to find the words he was looking for, "I don't think she'd enjoy being kidnapped by a _magnificent _and _imposing_ cat. I'll find her on my own, if that's all right."

_'In fact, I think that kidnapping her by cat is a distinctly good way to get a kunoichi to pound me into fine paste,_' he mused. '_Were I interested in such a thing, I would take advantage. As I'm not...'_

Hideyoshi eyed him skeptically for a moment, before deciding to take the compliment and flicking his tail. "Well, when you have kittens, just remember it was me who did you a favor," he said self-importantly.

"I don't think you understand dating." Sasuke grumbled, but Hideyoshi had already cancelled his summons.


End file.
